Don't Give Up On Me
by Carcass5243
Summary: After one night with her cousin, Hinata is left pregnant and alone at fourteen. Now, everyone wants her to terminate her baby, and they're not even giving her a choice! Hinata must flee or let her baby be killed. Which will she choose? Her home or baby?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I don't see why I would want to, he's stupid, I'd much rather own Hinata.

Warning: This story has no hardcore sex, however is has strong violence and references to incest. If you don't think you want to read that, I suggest you stop reading right now, cuz I won't put up with it.

--

Don't give up on Me

"Hi Neji," Hinata cried happily, looking up from the targets she was trying to destroy.

"Hello Hinata, getting in some late night training?" asked Neji calmly, walking to stand right next to her.

"Yeah, well, I was hoping that tomorrow I could show Lady Tsunade, and she could show me that new technique she promised." said Hinata, smiling brightly, turning to face him.

Neji's mind reeled at the beauty of his fourteen year old cousin, feeling his stomach doing backflips,"Yeah, hey do you need any help?" he asked, fighting to keep his perverted mind under control.

_'Get it together Neji, she's your cousin!!' Neji_ berated himself silently.

Hinata watched in confusion as her handsome cousin's brow furrowed in concentration, and then silently yelling at herself, _'Don't think stuff like that, he's your family, that's just sick!! You know what would happen if you started a relationship with him, if he'd even want a relationship with you!!' she_ thought to herself, mind turning bitter at the thought of anyone else having a relationship with her cousin.

Neji broke out of his silent reverie, looking at Hinata, watching in fascination as her face twisted into a hundred different emotions.

He swallowed as she broke out of her own thoughts, smiling that sweet, gorgeous smile at him, "Sure Neji, I'd love to train with you!!" she exclaimed happily.

What happened next, Neji couldn't entirely explain, his reflexes took over, and he stepped forward, grabbing her arms, pulling her closer, he crashed his lips down onto hers, catching her in the most passionate kiss he could.

Hinata's mind reeled when Neji grabbed her, her whole mind launching into orbit, her stomach dropping into the atmosphere as he kissed her, her whole body felt as if it was on fire as he kissed her with passion.

She was so stunned by his obvious attraction to her, she stood completely still, and felt her hopes soaring, and then crash to the ground as he leaped away from her as if burned, horror and utter self-disgust flashing over his face.

She stood stone still, her lips throbbing from the sudden loss of contact, her mind crying out angrily for her to re-establish contact with his lips.

"Hinata...I...I don't know what came over me...I'm so sorry!!" cried Neji in desperation, backing away from her, his mind shrieking at him. _'You idiot, what the hell do you think your doing!? She'll hate you forever, and if she tells her father, he'll kill you!!'_

Hinata was staring at him, her eyes bugging out of her head, she licked her lips, blinking at him, an odd expression on her face.

She took a step towards him, hesitating, and when he didn't run away, she threw herself at him, grabbing him roughly, her lips crashing down onto his own, pouring as much passion as she could into kissing him.

Neji's mind reeled, his whole body stiffening, before his reflexes took over, and began to kiss her back passionately.

They kissed for a full minute, before breaking apart, both gasping for air. Hinata wiping her mouth, chest heaving. Neji gasping, still holding Hinata loosely in his arms.

She looked up at him, a strange new look in her eyes, an expression of longing and lust in her eyes.

Neji felt his heart leaping, feeling the same lust as she did, coursing through his veins.

"I think...I'm done training..."said Hinata, still gasping from the previous passion.

Neji nodded, his heart beating wildly, chest heaving," Do...you want to...continue this?" he asked hesitantly, reaching up, brushing a stray lock of her hair out of her face.

Hinata's eyes lit up in ways he hadn't seen in years, she nodded mutely, wrapping her arms around him.

--

Later...

Hinata lay on her bed, the moonlight streaming in from her bedroom window bathing her whole body in a silvery glow.

She had a satisfied feeling dwelling in the bottom of her stomach as she turned her head to gaze into the sleeping face of her cousin. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. She watched the rythmic rise and fall of his bare chest, loving the way his skin glowed like silver in the soft ambience of the moonlight.

She sighed happily, snuggling in closer to him, not even thinking for an instant about the possible reprecussions of sleeping with her cousin.

'_After all...' _she thought dreamily, her eyelids like lead, fighting off sleep, '_Whatever happens, I'll have Neji right there with me...'_

_--_

Five weeks later...

Hinata felt a little queasy, and her head was spinning slightly.

Not surprising, since Hanabi had just returned from her latest mission, and was describing in great detail the way her teammate had contracted stomach flu, and had vomited for a week.

"So then, he was all like uhh...and then he just began spewing vomit everywhere, it was so nasty!!" she cried with excitement, digging into her plate of eggs.

Hinata looked at her sister, then at Hanabi's plate of eggs, oozing yolks, and runny yellow fluid, spilling and gushing across the plate.

Hinata felt her stomach jolt at the sight of the disgusting sight, she leaped to her feet and barely made it to the courtyard, before she doubled over, and vomited everything in her stomach onto the grass.

She fell back onto her haunches, gasping, wiping her mouth, '_What the hell was that?!'_ she thought breathlessly, then, without warning, her stomach lurched again, and she vomited again, puke splattering onto the floor.

"Whoa, geez, are you sick or pregnant?" asked Hanabi joking sarcastically, coming out to lean against the doorframe of the house, and look at her.

At her joking words, Hinata's mind reeled, her stomach dropping and lurching, '_No, that can't be it!!_' she thought desperately, grabbing at her abdomen.

Hanabi laughed, not noticing her sisters face, "So, Hinata, who's the lucky guy who knocked you up?" She began to laugh as hard as she could, dropping to her knees from the force of her laughter.

Hanabi was still laughing, until she noticed the look of stunned fear on Hinata's face, she crawled on her knees over to her, waving her hand in Hinata's face.

"Heyyy...Hinata, what's wrong?" asked Hanabi, looking at her in worry, "It was just a joke you know, I wasn't serious, I know your not that kind of girl."

"Right...,"said Hinata distantly, getting to her feet shakily, staggering slightly, "I...I...have to go."

"Ummm...okay," said Hanabi in confusion, standing upright, "Where are you going?"

"Out." was all Hinata said as she stumbled out of the courtyard, and towards the front door of the compound.

--

"Hinata, I have some bad news," said Lady Tsunade quietly, shutting the door of the exam room behind her as she stepped inside.

Hinata looked up, a mixture of fear and tears in her eyes, "It's true, isn't it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Tsunade sighed heavily, taking a seat across from Hinata, "Yes, I'm afraid so. I ran the test three times, just to be sure, Hinata, you are most definitely pregnant."

Hinata let out a strangled choking sound, as if she couldn't get enough air, her hand immediately flying to her abdomen, clenching the fabric of her jacket tightly between her fingers.

"Hinata, I have to ask, who's the father?"

She began to shake, swallowed hard, and mumbled something incoherent, twisting her hands together.

"Speak up Hinata, I need you to tell me," said Tsunade gently, placing her hand onto Hinata's twisting ones, ceasing their movement.

"N...N...Neji," Hinata stuttered fearfully, her shoulders beginning to shake in fear and shame.

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock and anger, she fought to keep her voice steady as she spoke, "Hinata, did he rape you?" she asked softly.

Hinata shook her head vigorously, still staring at her lap.

Tsunade sighed even more heavily, "Hinata...do you know what it's called when you commit sexual acts with a member of your family?" she asked, in a tired sounding voice.

"It's usually called incest," said Hinata, her voice so small it was barely audible.

"Yes, and do you know what the law in Kohona says about incest?" Tsunade asked, her whole demeanor changed from her normal, angry self.

"It's illegal," said Hinata, her whole body beginning to shake with suppressed sobs.

"Yes, in Kohona, incest is illegal, and anyone found committing it is _supposed _to be imprisoned, but I won't let that happen to you," said Lady Tsunade, choosing her next words carefully, "I'm assuming the only product of your relationship is this baby, right?"

"Yes, I think so...I'm sure of it," said Hinata, still not looking up.

"Then no one else has to know about this, except for you, me, and Neji, we can take care of this quietly, I wouldn't even need a parental consent form, I'd even do it myself." she said, smiling kindly at Hinata.

Hinata's head shot up, her eyes wide and terror stricken, "W...what...y...y...your not talking about abortion are you!?" she gasped, her hand immediately flying to her abdomen in a protective manner.

"Hinata, it's the only practical choice," said Tsunade, preparing for what was sure to be a long fight, "look, I know you want to talk about this, so let's talk."

"Talk!! What's there to talk about!?" cried Hinata, fury and rage finding its way into her voice," You want to kill my baby!! I won't let you!!"

"Hinata, be rational!!" shouted Tsunade, smacking her in the side of the head, her fury rising, "You can't possibly hope to raise this baby yourself, let alone a child of incest, even if you did convince everyone that the child was someone else's, what's going to happen when it starts to look like Neji!? Then, on top of that, how will you ever explain getting pregnant at fourteen!? Plus, what about Neji, he's going to know, and Hinata, I know Neji, he won't just stand by, he'll want a part in the baby's life, then what!? How will you explain that to the child!?"

"I won't let you kill it!!" shouted Hinata, pushing herself away from Tsunade, her arms flying up to cover her abdomen, as if she expected Tsunade to pull out a kunai and cut the baby out.

"Hinata, don't be an idiot!! This isn't just a stupid, two hour and your tired of it thing, babies require the kind of love, care, and maintenance you can't give it, this is the only way!!" shouted Tsunade, jumping to her feet

"I know that, I know it, I've heard that my whole life, and your not the first person to tell me, I took all the classes at the academy, I know it would be hard, but I won't let you kill it!!" howled Hinata, wrapping her arms tightly around her abdomen.

Tsunade forced herself to swallow the scream that was fighting to escape her throat and bash Hinata, and forced herself to speak calmly.

"Hinata, I realize this is a huge decision, and that you might want to think about it, so I'll schedule you an appointment for tomorrow. You can think about this overnight, and then, come back tomorrow, and then we can talk about what you decide, and we can go from there, alright?"

Hinata looked at her, both fear and determination glowing like demon amethyst crystals in her eyes, her jaw set, "Alright," she said finally, "I'll come back tomorrow."

With that, Hinata got to her feet, and walked out of the room with a confidence she hadn't had when she'd come in.

"I have a feeling this isn't over," said Tsunade softly to herself as she watched the retreating figure of fourteen year old Hinata Hyuuga.

--

Hinata sat for a long time on a bench near the Ichiraku Ramen bar, which was only a few blocks from the clinic.

As she was sitting, she didn't notice Naruto Uzumaki emerge from inside the ramen bar, looking stuffed, and carrying three take out servings of ramen.

"Hey Hinata, what's up?" asked Naruto in a off hand voice as he noticed her for the first time.

"Oh hi Naruto," said Hinata, so distracted she didn't even blush or stutter as she looked at him, "What are you doing here?"

"I just got back from my mission, and I always get ramen after a mission," he said, swelling slightly at the thought of his latest successful mission.

"Oh, well that's nice," said Hinata distractedly, not even looking at him anymore.

Naruto blinked, looking more closely at her, "Hey Hinata, is something wrong, you usually don't act this when I'm here, "he said, dropping his haunches, poking her leg.

"What...oh, sorry Naruto, I've just got a lot on my mind," said Hinata, looking at him fully, "Hey, Naruto, I've got a question for you, do you think it's right to kill someone?"

"Kill someone?" he asked, looking at her in surprise, straightening up, and scratching the back of his head, "Well...as shinobi we're supposed to kill people sometimes, but I once made a promise to myself, I wouldn't kill anyone who I didn't have to."

"Didn't have to?" asked Hinata faintly, her hand drifting to her abdomen, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Well yeah," said Naruto, putting both his hands behind his head, staring at the sky, "I mean, I wouldn't kill someone who never did anything to hurt me or someone else. I would also never kill someone who was innocent or anything like that."

"Innocent?" she asked, her voice small, eyes filling with tears.

Naruto nodded silently, returning his eyes from the sky to her face. Hinata looked as if she had been lost in thought, but now she was determined, and knew what she was going to do.

"Naruto, thank you for everything," said Hinata in a firm voice, "Really, for everything, you don't know how much you've done for me."

Hinata stepped forward, hugging a very stunned Naruto tightly, before releasing him.

Naruto watched in amazement as Hinata Hyuuga walked away, her step determined and filled with purpose.

As she walked away, Naruto said aloud, to no one in particular, "Wow, she's a lot weirder than I thought, what's gotten into her?"

Naruto watched Hinata walk away, and didn't even know it was the last time he'd ever the back of that Hyuuga heiress, who was going to prove she was stronger than anyone had ever even thought capable.

--

As Hinata walked towards the center of town, her heart was strangely calm, so was her mind.

The storm that had been raging in her head since she'd heard those words from Tsunade's lips had been quieted by the simple words spoken by a boy who refused to kill the innocent, despite what anyone said.

Naruto Uzumaki had been an example for Hinata since the first day she'd seen him walk in late to the first day of class at the academy.

Naruto Uzumaki would not kill the innocent, and neither would she.

_'If it's the last thing I do, I won't let them kill you, I promise,'_ Hinata thought, her hand resting on her lower abdomen.

"I promise, no matter what," she whispered aloud, before turning, and heading downtown, she had a lot to buy before nightfall.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Naruto, and I still don't want too, because he is still an idiot.

On a side note, someone reviewed and asked me about the harsh laws against incest in Kohona. I promise that it will all be explained in later chapters, so please just be patient. Also, a sincere thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my story.

--

Don't Give up on Me

The first place Hinata went when she arrived in the business district of Kohona was the bank.

"Welcome Ms. Hyuuga,"said the mousy man behind the desk, pushing his coke bottle glasses farther up his nose, "What can I do for you?"

"Hello, can you tell me the current balance of my Hyuuga trust fund?" asked Hinata purposefully, and restraining herself from biting her lip.

'_It's important to make your enemy think you know what your doing, never show any weakness, even if you have no clue.'_Hinata mentally recited to herself, recalling her second year academy classes.

"Yes, of course Ms. Hyuuga,"replied mousy man, turning and bustling to the rows and rows of filing cabinets.

She watched him calculatingly, her eyes tracking his every move like an animal of prey. After some extensive digging, he extracted a thick, cream colored file, the name '**HYUUGA, HINATA**' clearly printed on it.

"Here you are Ms. Hyuuga,"he said, laying the file out in front of her, "It appears as though your high interest trust fund has amassed quite a bit over the years. Your current bank balance is holding steady at ten thousand ryus."

Hinata's eyes widened, when her father had told her she had a trust fund for when she would turn eighteen, she had been surprised, and now, she was even more stunned. Hiashi had put this much money in for her trust fund?

Hinata swallowed, and adopted her best professional ninja voice, "Yes, well my father Hyuuga-sama, requires that I withdraw all the money at once, he needs it urgently for an important inter-clan matter." she said, hoping he wouldn't ask questions.

He studied her critically, "Very well..."he said faintly, "However, we will require you to fill out a form."

Hinata gratefully accepted the paper, thanking the gods he hadn't questioned her further. She sat down on a bench in the lobby as he headed to the back of the bank, to where the safe was. She quickly filled the form out, and went to the counter. The mousy man had just returned, holding a square brown bag.

"Here you are, Ms. Hyuuga," he said quietly.

As Hinata reached forward and gripped the handle, he caught her wrist, and looked into her eyes, "Please, please, be careful Hinata-chan, this is a dangerous game your playing."

Hinata's heart jumped, fear splashing across her face like water, his dark brown eyes gazed intently at her, and Hinata understood.

Ex-Anbu, she could now see the tattoo on his forearm, as his sleeve slipped up, he gazed intensely at her for a single moment more, before dropping her arm, and returning to the mousy man Hinata remembered.

--

**Twenty Minutes Later...**

Hinata walked purposely to her very first destination, the ninja supply store, which was run by the Mitarashi family. The ninja supply store was a staple for any ninja, but most of them only went in every five years or so. They did not sell shuriken, or kunai or any weapons except for ninja pen knives, and camping and cooking knives. Hinata immediately went to the back, and scanned through the selection of ninja packs. The Mitarashi family personally handcrafted the best quality packs, they were durable, lightweight, stood up to any element, and most importantly, they were designed with extreme weight distribution in mind. The best packs they made could carry 180 lbs. and make it seem like it was about 75lbs. Hinata scanned the rows and rows of packs and finally selected a dark green pack. The label said it could carry 120lbs. and it had a place for the attachable bedroll.

Next, Hinata proceeded to the clothing section of the store. Most ninja preferred to buy their clothes from the clothing stores, but Hinata knew that the Mitarashi family handmade the clothes, and they were just like the packs, they could withstand any elements, they almost never wore out, they were dirt resistant, fire retardant, and lightweight. She picked out twelve complete outfits, twenty pairs of socks, and twenty pairs of undergarments. She picked them at least four sizes too big.

The next thing she selected was a coat. It wasn't a handmade one, it was a coat made by the Yudiara company. Their coats were the best, if a ninja was ever to travel anywhere cold, they bought a Yudiara coat. They had a special zipper feature, the whole coat was just seventeen thin jackets zipped together, and insulated. All you had to do was unzip the first zipper all the way, and you had a light jacket, perfect for early summer mornings when it was just a little chilly. It continued up in necessity for warmth, the twelfth zipper level was perfect for the winters in Kohona. The final jacket, which had nothing unzipped, could maintain body temperature at -60 degrees.

She selected a dark blue coat, complete with hood, which was lined with rabbit fur. She selected it four sizes too large as well.

She then selected a bedroll, it was guaranteed to maintain body temperature at temperatures of minus sixty degrees. She then proceeded to the infants section. She wondered why a ninja supply store would even have a baby section, but she was glad they did. She selected fourteen baby outfits, complete with thirty pairs of baby socks. She made sure to buy a variety of sizes. She didn't know much about babies, but she'd heard they grew quickly after birth. She also selected a baby snowsuit, it was a toddler size, but she couldn't take the chance it might not fit.

She then selected four baby blankets in various colors, as well as two heavy blankets for herself. She then proceeded to the front counter of the shop, where she set down all her merchandise onto the counter. The lady looked at her in surprise, examining all the merchandise Hinata had selected.

"Is this everything?" the woman asked, dubiously picking up the baby clothes, then looking at Hinata.

"Yes," said Hinata breathlessly, "Why? Is there a problem?"

The lady raised her eyebrow, and Hinata adopted her best Hyuuga glare, staring the woman down, daring her to comment on the baby clothes.

The lady withstood the glare for a full minute, before dropping her gaze. She began to silently ring up the merchandise, and Hinata smiled triumphantly. She had finally perfected the Hyuuga glare.

--

After finishing at the Mitarashi store, Hinata headed farther downtown, carrying her pack on her back, packed with all her freshly purchased merchandise. Her next stop was Daisuke's, the baby store. The store was run by Daisuke Atawashi, who specialized in over four hundred different baby items, each item coming in dozens of different styles.

As Hinata entered the store, she felt a slight sense of unease overtake her, most of the people in here were young couples, or women in their late to early thirties. A lot of the women had swollen bellies. Hinata gulped as she walked as quietly as possible to the back of the store. The first thing she picked out was four packages of cloth diapers, and two of disposable diapers. Then she walked to the north end of the store, and picked out a package of Sippy cups, complete with lids, and two packages of baby bottles, complete with rubber drink lids.

Next, she picked out three pacifiers, two teething rings, and ten bottles of baby body wash and shampoo. She then proceeded to the south front of the store, where there were several bookshelves. She scanned the titles, chewing her lip. Finally, she selected three of what looked like the best, 'How to Care for Baby' books.

Then, she selected a complete set of baby dishes, which included baby food spoons, bowls, and other assorted items. She then bought three packages of onesies, because they didn't sell them at Mitarashi's.

The next thing she did was to proceed to the very back wall of the store, and looked critically at the huge wall where there were hundreds of bottles of vitamins. Hinata had to flip open one of the books and check what she needed. She finally selected twelve boxes of prenatal vitamins, plus three bottles of vitamin supplements that she was supposed to mix into the baby's bottle for a few months after it was born.

She was getting ready to check out when a though struck her, she hurried to the east end of the store. Once there, she picked out several baby toys, a stuffed bunny, a frog shaped rattle, a set of blocks, several story books, and a few other toys. Finally, she headed to the front of the store, and deposited all her stuff on the counter.

Daisuke himself was running the register, and to his credit, he didn't bat an eye at all the baby things.

"Did you find everything okay?" he asked nonchalantly, scanning the frog rattle, and placing it in a bag.

"Yes," replied Hinata shortly, digging in her pocket for some money.

"Good," he replied, scanning her last item, "Your total is a hundred and fifty ryus."

Hinata handed over the money, and accepted the bags. Before she left the store, she took the time to pack all the baby merchandise she had just purchased into her pack. Then she shouldered her pack again, and left the store, heading west towards the metallurgist's shop.

--

As soon as Hinata reached the metallurgist's shop, she immediately walked to the counter.

"Excuse me," she said to the man behind the counter, "but I'd like to place an order for a complete sixty piece shuriken and kunai set, I want them super sharp."

"Very well, do you have an existing account?" the man asked cordially.

"No, I don't," replied Hinata steadily, "Also, could you make me a katana, and some extra large shuriken, and a specialty pack of weapons?"

He raised an eyebrow, "A little girl like you likes to play with big ninja weapons?" he asked skeptically, crossing his arms.

"I'm simply placing an order for my father, Hiashi Hyuuga, perhaps you know him?" she asked smoothly, grinning inside as she watched his face change.

His face went from skeptical to shocked, to fearfully respectful in under ten seconds, "I'm sorry Ms. Hyuuga, I didn't know," he said, tripping over his words, "I'll get right on making your order, it should be ready in two hours, if you could return then..."

Hinata smiled, "Very well," she said, "I'll just look around for a while then."

She proceeded to browse the store, finally she found a set of collapsible pots and pans that ninja used on long term journeys for cooking. Then she found a set of a hundred candles, she got two. Then she proceeded to select a complete set of stainless steel eating utensils. Then she went to the front counter again, and paid for her stuff, and packed it into her pack. She was surprised to see she still hadn't even used up half of her available pack space.

"I'll be back in a while to pick up my stuff," she said, smiling placidly at the man behind the counter.

--

Her very next stop was the scroll shop, where she purchased twenty different technique scrolls, each of them taught up to ten jutsus. She made sure to select the high level ones. She also purchased thirty packs of paper bombs. Each pack contained a hundred paper bombs. She purchased three different kinds of bombs, red, green and blue ones. They were color coded for detonation time, explosive power, and how far the damage from one would spread.

She then purchased two different kinds of stationary, the chakra infused, and the normal kind. She also bought several pencils, and a sharpener. The thing she bought next was ten blank scrolls. Then she purchased several books, including one about edible herbs and plants in the different regions, one about medicinal herbs and roots that could be used in case of injury. She then purchased a book about the basics of chakra, and one about advanced chakra use and conservation.

--

After leaving the scroll shop, Hinata immediately headed to the pharmacy, where she bought several bottles of painkillers.

She also bought several chakra conservation pills, several bottles of food pills and a few other assorted pharmaceuticals. She also bought medications designed for babies, and several bottles of colic medication.

The woman behind the counter seemed incredibly unconcerned as she rang up Hinata's stuff.

"You also might want these," said the woman as she smacked her bubble gum.

She handed Hinata three bottles of pills, "What are these for?" asked Hinata, looking at her quizzically,

"They help with the morning sickness," said the woman, not even batting an eye.

"Oh, um...thanks," said Hinata sheepishly, tucking them into her pocket as she left.

--

Hinata went to the grocery store next, and immediately began to select as many fresh fruits and vegetables as she could. She also picked out sixty jars of baby food, and several boxes of baby formula. She also picked out as many cans of food she thought she'd be able to carry.

She also several boxes of matches, and a small camp stove.

She then paid and left.

--

After leaving the grocery store, she ducked into an alley, and spent the next half hour organizing her pack so that everything was in its place, she had more space, and also so that the weight was more easily distributed so it would feel like the pack was lighter.

After organizing her pack, she still had a half hour, so she ate a quick lunch at a ramen bar.

'_Not nearly as good as Ichiraku's Ramen...'_ she thought idly as she sucked her noodles.

--

After her lunch, Hinata headed back to the metallurgist's shop, "Ahem," she cleared her throat as she entered.

"What...oh...it's you, your shuriken sets and katana are almost ready," said the man, looking up from the kunai handle he was currently wrapping in tape.

Hinata sat down to wait, and after fifteen minutes, he stood up, and came to the counter, "Here you are Ms. Hyuuga," he said nervously, watching her inspect them.

Hinata examined the weapons closely, "Good...good...this will do fine...,"she said, looking back up at him. She handed him his money, tucked the weapons into her pack, and left.

--

**Later That Night...**

Hinata had returned home to the Hyuuga compound, apologized to Hanabi for her behavior, and was currently eating dinner with her family. Hinata finished first, and asked to be excused, and her father let her go.

Now, Hinata was lying awake, fully clothed on her bed, her new, fully packed pack at the foot of her bed. She had slept for four hours after dinner, completely neglecting the paperwork she was supposed to fill out from her latest mission. She lay, listening to the sounds of the house settling down for the night. Finally, she felt the house go completely dead. No one in the whole compound was awake.

Hinata slowly and carefully slipped off her bed, and very quietly picked up her pack and adjusted it to her shoulders. She then turned to the window, she went to it, and gently eased it open. Just as she was getting ready to leave, she felt the cool metal of her headband bump against her neck. Hinata stepped away from the window, walked to her bedside table, removed her headband and left it there. Then she picked up a stubby pencil and scribbled a quick notation onto the pad of paper she kept next to her bed.

Then she turned, went to the window, and without looking back, she leaped out, and jumped onto the roof of her home, and then down onto the street below. She then turned to face the village gates.

She ran as fast as she could towards them, and then, through them.

She didn't look back.  
She just kept running.

Running far, far away.

She needed to save her baby.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Once and yet again, I do not own Naruto, I still don't want him.

Ok people, here's the next installment of my story, hope you like it, I worked really hard.

--

Don't Give Up on Me

Neji woke up to the sounds of frantic shouts and angry yells. He yawned as he pushed himself out of bed, he stumbled around half awake, and finally managed to get dressed. He headed down to the kitchen. As he walked through the door, he found himself the focus of attention.

"NEJI!!" yelled Hiashi furiously, "WHERE THE HELL IS HINATA!?"

Neji yawned, shuffled over to the cupboard, got a bowl, and poured himself some cereal, "Where's the milk?" he asked sleepily, glancing blearily around.

"DAMMIT NEJI, I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!! ANSWER ME!!" howled Hiashi, his face turning a fascinating shade of red.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!! I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME, GIVE ME TIME TO THINK!!" Neji yelled back, spinning around to glare at Hiashi.

Hiashi begrudgingly shut his mouth. Neji walked to the fridge, retrieved the milk, and returned to pour it on his cereal. He went to the counter, and began to eat his cereal, thinking.

"Isn't she in her room?" Neji finally asked, looking up at Hiashi.

"No, she is not," answered Hiashi curtly, restraining himself from hitting Neji.

Neji swallowed another spoonful of cereal, "Well then...what makes you think I know where she is?" asked Neji, finally looking awake.

"Because, you and her seem to spend every waking minute together," said Hiashi angrily, barely containing his rage.

Neji considered Hiashi's statement for a minute, "Yes, I suppose we do," he said, looking mildly surprised, "I never realized."

He returned to eating his cereal. Hiashi had had enough, "Neji, as a member of the lesser branch family, I am ordering you to search this village until you find her, and don't come back till you do!!" snarled Hiashi, glaring at Neji.

"Alright then, _Master _Hyuuga, I'll _gladly _follow your orders," replied Neji in the most bitingly sarcastic voice he could muster.

Neji walked away from the counter, leaving his half eaten cereal behind, "Are you coming Hanabi?" he asked, turning to look at her.

She nodded, and they exited the Hyuuga compound to search for Hinata.

--

Hinata had been running for almost twelve hours now, and there was no sign of any kind of attempt to track her. She was glad, but she was also completely exhausted.

Her legs felt like they were on fire, and her lungs felt as if they would explode. But she kept pushing her legs to move, despite the pain.

She kept heading steadily to the North, towards the land of Rain, where Amegakure, the Village Hidden in the Rain, was located. She was going there because she knew that there was no way that Kohona would ever negotiate with Amegakure. If she was there, she'd be safe from Kohona's ninja and her family. She knew she would be protected and safe there.

Several years ago, she'd been eavesdropping on a meeting her father was having with all the heads of the other clans and the Sandaime hokage. She hadn't understood it then, but she did now. They'd been talking about the takeover of Amegakure by two people named Pein and Konan. She knew now, Pein and Konan were members of the evil organization, the Akatsuki, and that they had taken over the village by force. They now ruled over it's people and citizens.

Hinata knew it was risky and stupid to walk right into the hands of the Akatsuki. However, she knew that Pein and Konan, whoever they were, had to be strong. And they probably wouldn't communicate with Kohona, or let the Leaf ninja into their territory.

So Hinata was headed to the land of Rain, to save her baby. Except, the land of Rain was several weeks away, and it wouldn't take the Leaf ninja long to realize she was gone.

--

Tsunade was not in a good mood. She was sitting in her office, tapping her foot angrily, waiting for Hinata to arrive.

As she waited, her thoughts bounced and rocketed around her head. Her thoughts were so turbulent that they had kept her up all night, thus adding to her frustration. On top of that, Shizune had refused to file her paperwork until Tsunade filed her own paperwork.

'_What the hell is going on?...'_Tsunade thought for the billionth time, '_How the hell could this happen? Why wasn't Guy watching Neji better? And what about Kurenai? I'll bet Kurenai was out with Asuma again, and Guy was probably running laps. God!! Why did this happen to me, this never happened to Sarutobi-sensei...'_

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by a loud knock, "Come in," called Tsunade, irratated.

She looked up, "What is it Shizune?" she asked, rubbing her temples, fighting a migraine.

"Um...well...Lady Tsunade...I know you didn't want visitors, but um...Neji Hyuuga is here to see you..." Shizune let the sentence hang in the air.

Rage and fury flashed over Tsunade's face as she fought to control her emotions, "Send him in." she said quietly, hiding her rage and hatred for the boy.

"Uh...excuse me...Lady Tsunade...I was wondering...," said Neji hesitantly as he came in, "I mean...I'm sorry for interrupting you, but...um...I was wondering...have you seen my cousin?"

Tsunade's mind immediately froze, "What?" she asked, unable to comprehend what he was saying.

"Hinata...I haven't seen her all day...," he began, but before he could finish, she cut him off.

"WHAT!?" shouted Tsunade as she immediately leaped to her feet, and had Neji by the front of his shirt before he even knew what happened.

"What do you haven't seen her all day?!" she yelled, shaking him as hard as she could.

"I can't find her, Hiashi said she wasn't in her bed this morning, he sent me to find her!!" cried Neji alarmed, trying to push away from her.

Tsunade threw him aside roughly, rushing out of her office as fast as she could, almost flattening Hanabi in the process.

"Shizune!! Summon the Anbu Black Ops, get me every available ninja, I want every able bodied ninja possible summoned for an emergency meeting, at once!!" she yelled, pushing everyone out of the way as she stormed down the stairs, and onto the street.

"My Lady," Shizune yelled after her, "Where are you going?"

"Just summon everyone to the meeting hall!! I'll be back!!" yelled Tsunade back to her, setting her course due west, towards the Hyuuga home compound.

--

**Ten Minutes Later...**

Tsunade was so furious by the time she arrived, she could barely form coherent sentences. It only served to increase her rage when she saw Neji and Hanabi running down the street towards her.

"Lady Tsunade...," panted Neji as he drew even with her, "Lady Tsunade...what do you want...here?"

She glared at him, "Neji, I'm going to need to see Hinata's room." she growled at him, clenching her fists to keep from strangling him.

He nodded silently, deciding it wasn't worth it to provoke her in any way, like talking. He led her mutely through the front door, down the halls, and through a few rooms.

"Neji!! What the hell do you think you're doing here!? Where's Hinata!" yelled Hiashi angrily, striding across a courtyard to join them.

"Hyuuga-san, I'm sorry but Lady Tsunade insisted she see Hinata's room, I believe she may have information about her," said Neji bowing respectfully.

"Hn," snorted Hiashi, "Very well then, I will accompany you."

He joined them, until finally, they reached Hinata's room, and Neji pushed the door open, and they all walked into her room.

At the sight of her room, Tsunade felt her heart break for Hinata. The whole room was painted a pale shade of lavender, it had matching lavender bedspreads and pillowcases. She had pictures of flowers and posters of popular boy bands plastered all over her walls. Her hardwood floor was covered in several lavender colored braided rugs. Her desk was neat, but had a bunch of little notepads, and cute glittery pencils. Her diary was lying on one corner of her desk. The whole room smelled faintly of lilacs. Finally, the last touch, she had a small music box that sat on top of her dresser, and Tsunade was certain if she opened it, a little ballerina would be perpetually turning, set to the tune of a piano.

The room was so heartbreaking, the room of a child, not even the room of a ninja. This room was just the room Tsunade would expect out of an average, happy child, not of a ninja of fourteen, especially not one who was _pregnant._

Tsunade felt her heart break. Hinata was just a child at heart, and she had no idea what she was getting herself into with this baby.

"Hey, what's this?" Neji's voice broke Tsunade out of her reverie. She turned to where he was standing near the bedside table, bent over, looking at something.

She pushed her way past Hanabi who was looking over Neji's shoulder. She bent down to examine the notepad. She read the quickly scribbled message, then she read it again.

_**To Everyone,**_

_**I'm sorry.**_

_**Please, Don't give up on me.**_

_**Hinata **_

Tsunade read it twice more, before looking up and noticing the headband. Tsunade picked up the headband carefully, as if it was made of glass. She looked closely at it, before closing her hand tightly over the headband, obscuring the leaf symbol.

"Neji, Hiashi, I will need you to accompany me to the Hokage tower meeting place, I am going to address the ninja," she said, her voice harshly rigid.

Before they could respond, she turned and walked quickly out of the room.

--

**Eleven Minutes Later...**

Tsunade was currently seated in front of over sixty Ninja, looking at them all. They stared back, mystified as to why they'd been summoned.

Finally, with a sigh, Tsunade stood, "You are all, no doubt, wondering why I've summoned you here," she sighed again, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "Well, first things first, Kurenai Yuhi, Might Guy, step forward."

Kurenai and Guy both stepped forward, both looking confused.

"Kurenai Yuhi, is the name of one of your students, Hinata Hyuuga," she asked, staring critically at Kurenai.

Kurenai nodded, getting even more confused by the second.

"Might Guy, is the name of one of your students, Neji Hyuuga?" she asked, switching her stare to him.

"Why yes, it is!" cried Guy excitedly, grinning and throwing her a huge thumbs up.

"Very well, Kurenai Yuhi, Might Guy, you two have failed in your duties as teachers and guardians for these students you were entrusted," said Tsunade coldly, glaring at both of them.

"What!?" they both cried out in unison, gazing disbelievingly at her.

"Yes," Tsunade cut in icily, "And for your negligence as teachers, you are both having your teaching privileges revoked until further notice, and you are both hereby dropped one full rank in the ninja standing, until further notice."

"WHAT!?" they both again yelled in unison, looking absolutely stunned.

"Kurenai Yuhi, Might Guy, for failure to complete your duties, you are both hereby demoted from the rank of Jonin to Chunin." Tsunade replied as stonily as possible.

They both gaped at her, "But...but...I didn't do anything!" yelled Kurenai furiously.

Tsunade felt the last remnants of her self control disappear at Kurenai's words.

"DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!! ARE YOU JOKING!? IF YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG, WHY IS HINATA GONE!? WHY DID SHE FLEE THE VILLAGE!? AND HOW THE _**HELL **_DID SHE END UP _**PREGNANT **_AT _**FOURTEEN**_!?" howled Tsunade furiously, veins popping dangerously out of her temples, her face completely red.

Kurenai stood completely shell shocked for a full minute, her jaw hanging open. Her attitude was mimicked by everyone in the room. Neji's eyes were bugging out of his head, his mouth hanging open. Hiashi's eyes were bugging out, his jaw, however, was cemented shut. All of the ninja in the room were completely stunned, most of them were gaping like fish. Even Shizune was stunned into silence.

"Pregnant...?" Kurenai whispered, shell shocked, "Pregnant?...How...sh...she didn't even have a boyfriend...the only boy...she was even around was..."

Something seemed to occur to Kurenai then, she turned her head to Neji. She stared at him a full ten seconds.

"You...it was you..."she said in a detached voice, staring at him.

A split second later, Kurenai launched herself at him, shrieking hysterically. She slammed into him before he even realized what was going on. She was scratching, punching, and even biting every inch of him she could find. She was shrieking hysterical nonsense the whole time.

A full three seconds later, Asuma and Kakashi dragged her off of Neji, and had to restrain her. It was taking all their strength to hold her.

"Kurenai!! Kurenai!! Stop this!! What the hell are you doing!!" yelled Asuma, holding as tightly as possible to her arm.

"It was him!! It was him!! He did it!! He raped Hinata!!" she howled, fighting tooth and nail to get free.

At her words, Neji was jarred out of his stunned silence, "I DID NOT RAPE HER!! I WOULD NEVER HURT HINATA!!" he yelled as loud as absolutely possible.

"YOU SLEPT WITH MY DAUGHTER!?" yelled Hiashi as loud as he could.

"NO!! Well...I...uh..." began Neji, "I...um...it isn't what you think!!"

At his words all the ninja gaped. Incest was unheard of in Kohona, especially not among one of the oldest and most respected clans in Kohona. A child added even more unheard of, especially one of incest. No wonder Tsunade was furious. Her fury was no where near equaled to that of Might Guy's though. One look at him and you could tell he was barely restraining himself from breaking Neji's neck.

"YOU DID, DIDN'T YOU!?" yelled Hiashi furiously, "YOU PIECE OF TRASH!! HOW DARE YOU TAINT HER GOOD NAME!!"

"SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!!" howled Tsunade, enraged, "NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO POINT FINGERS!! THE POINT IS, HINATA IS GONE!!"

Kurenai stopped fighting against Asuma and Kakashi very abruptly, "Gone?" she said faintly, "She's gone?"

Tsunade took a deep breath, "Yes, she's gone. I believe she may have run away from the village." she said as calmly as possible, "However, we'll need to confirm. I want you all to team up in pairs, and search the village. If she did run, she'd need supplies, so ask around the shops. I want her found as soon as possible, understood?"

The ninja all nodded, "Very well then, GO!!" yelled Tsunade, and they all vanished almost instantly.

Tsunade sighed heavily, and sank back into her chair. She was having a very bad day indeed.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I still don't want him.

Here is the next installment in my story. I hope you like it. Warning: It might contain some serious Neji hating. (And maybe more, but you'll have to read it!)

--

Don't Give Up on Me

Neji couldn't believe it. Hinata, pregnant.

She was pregnant, and it was his baby. Neji wasn't quite sure how he felt about the thought of a baby with her. One thing that was still true however, he still loved her. It was wrong, it was sick, and now everyone knew about it, but he couldn't help it. He'd always known how people would feel about their relationship, and even though they did now know, he couldn't stop feeling the way he did about her.

However, this baby, he could barely process the thought of a tiny little life living inside Hinata. It was harder still to process the fact that the little life inside her was a part of him. The hardest, most unacceptable thing however, was that he might never see his own child. He didn't quite know why, but he wanted more than anything to find Hinata, and for her to have the baby.

A part of him, however, was slightly ashamed and felt guilty. It was his fault Hinata had been forced to flee. Another part of him, the slightly selfish part, was immensely proud, and happy at the fact that he'd fathered a child.

He was contemplating this, when, out of no where, a fist slammed into the side of his head.

Neji, who'd been searching for Hinata at the training grounds, was thrown seventy feet, before he slammed into a tree with a bone jarring crunch. He slid down the tree, blood gushing from his head, his arm, dangling uselessly at his side. It was clearly broken, and pain was shooting like daggers up his arm and spine.

He looked up through his curtain of pain, and saw a flash of green. He tried to activate his Byakugan, but he was a second too late.

An instant later, his feet were dangling, and someone had him by the front of his shirt.

"Guy...Sensei..."gasped Neji, talking through the pain, "Guy...Sensei...what...are you...?"

"Shut up!" snarled Guy, cutting him off, shaking him.

Neji's arm collided with his side, sending more pain shooting through his body. Neji screamed in pain.

"Neji, how could you?!" growled Guy furiously, "I taught you better!! YOUR OWN COUSIN!?"

Guy spun around, and hurled Neji as hard as he could across the training grounds. Neji barely had time to breathe before he was hammered by what felt like a thousand lead fists. Neji was pounded so far into the ground, he could barely breathe.

"GUY SENSEI, **PLEASE** **_STOP_**!!" screamed Neji as Guy hauled him up by his shirt again.

"Neji, how could I ever teach a student, and have them turn around and do this!!" Guy growled in a whisper, rage soaking his voice. He was so angry he was actually shaking in rage.

"I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!! Sorrysorrysorry!!" cried Neji hysterically, terrified. Guy actually looked mad enough to actually kill him.

"Neji...I am going to teach you a lesson..." Guy hissed, shaking him.

"I'm sorry!!" cried Neji, his eyes clenched in pain, "I know, I was wrong!! I know I deserve it!!"

Neji knew he needed to be punished. He'd taken advantage of his innocent cousin. Even if she'd consented, she was too young to make that decision wisely, and on top of that, he knew the way he felt was wrong. He knew it was wrong to hope she'd have the baby. A baby would ruin her life, and he had no business wanting that for her.

Guy hurled him again, and he flew thirty feet into another tree. He hit it legs first, and screamed hysterically as he felt his legs shatter. Before he could even breathe, Guy had him by the throat, and had thrown him again.

Neji gasped as he slammed into the ground, and he felt the pain intensify exponentially.

Neji panted, and watched as Guy walked towards him, and he knew.

Before this was over, he was going to learn why his Sensei was called The Green Beast of Kohona.

--

Hinata had set up camp for the night. She'd run for almost sixteen hours straight by now, and was so exhausted she could barely move.

She had started a small fire, cooked herself a modest dinner, refilled her canteens with freshwater from a nearby river. She had just taken her pre-natal vitamins, and was getting ready to sleep.

Before she did, however, she decided to try something she'd learned from reading one of her 'How to Care For Baby' books.

She focused her chakra, formed several seals, for the Chakra Enhancing Jutsu, and placed it over her abdomen. She closed her eyes, and focused.

She gasped, sure enough, just like the book said it would, there was a tiny chakra signature, one that did not belong to her. Her own chakra felt different from this one. This one was distinctly different, she focused a little bit more, comparing her own chakra to that of the baby's, and she smiled.

The book was right again, by comparing her own chakra against the baby, she could figure out the baby's gender. Her own chakra was distinctly feminine, but this chakra, young and small as it was, was distinctly masculine.

A boy.

Hinata dropped the jutsu, and grinned happily to herself, a warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach. Up until now, her baby hadn't felt like a complete reality, but now, her baby, her son, was more real than anything else in the world to her.

She smiled even more widely to herself as she laid down in her bedroll, closing her eyes, drifting to sleep.

Her last thoughts before she drifted off were, '_A boy...a baby boy...what should I name him...?'_

--

Tsunade couldn't sleep, the stress was too much.

Ninja had been reporting to her all day, and from them, she'd been able to sketch a fairly accurate picture of what had happened yesterday after Hinata left her office.

'_God...just yesterday...God it feels like it's been a thousand years...'_ she thought to herself, as she tossed and turned.

Anko Mitarashi had reported about how Hinata had come into her family's store, and bought hundreds of ryus worth of merchandise, including a winter coat, a baby snowsuit, and baby clothes. Tsunade had been able to guess, from that, that she was headed to the land of Snow. She'd sent word to the ninja who were searching the forest, and they focused their efforts in the direction of the land of Snow.

Then, Asuma Sarutobi brought news from the Metallurgist's shop. Hinata had purchased over a thousand ryus worth of weapons and merchandise. She couldn't believe it, where was Hinata getting all this money?

Then, Hiashi brought her news. Apparently, Hinata had emptied her Hyuuga trust fund.

'_One more problem,' _Tsunade had thought, Hinata hadn't just run away, she had money.

Kakashi and Iruka brought word from the scroll shop, she'd purchased enough paper bombs and technique scrolls to fight off an army.

Near the end of the day, two Anbu squads had brought her two people.

Daisuke Atawashi, the baby guy, and Mitori Fudeki, a local girl who worked in the pharmacy. Both of them admitted to having seen her, however both blatantly refused to tell what she'd bought, or even if she'd bought anything at all.

Tsunade had to restrain herself from killing both of them on the spot. Nothing anyone said could get them to talk about Hinata, and they had refused to talk about anything the whole time they were being questioned. Finally, they had to let them go, but Tsunade was furious with them, and promised to make their lives miserable till they talked.

Then, someone brought her news about what Hinata had bought at the market, and that was the point when Tsunade began to worry.

Hinata seemed determined to keep her baby, and Tsunade was just starting to realize just how serious she was. Someone who wasn't serious would never have bought so much stuff in preparation.

Then, Naruto had come to her, looking nervous, and chewing his lip. That wasn't a conversation Tsunade would forget anytime soon...

_"Um...Lady Tsunade?" Naruto said nervously, chewing his lip._

_"What is it Naruto?" asked Tsunade, concerned, Naruto only called her 'Lady' when he was very serious._

_"Um...it's about Hinata...I uh...," he began, casting his eyes down, "Well, uh...you see...well yesterday, Hinata, she was outside the ramen place, and she was sad, so I talked to her, and she asked me, if it was right to kill people, and I said no, not if they were innocent. So she asked me what I meant, so I told her, and she hugged me, and walked off. I didn't think about it then, but uh...now, it's my fault she's gone!"_

_Tsunade had to laugh at him as he said everything in one breath._

_She told him it wasn't his fault, and sent him to search for Hinata._

Now, as Tsunade lay in bed, she knew it wasn't Naruto's fault, but still, she couldn't help but feel that he'd contributed to her leaving, in a small way.

Her sleepless thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock at her door.

She sighed as she got up, pulled on a robe, and walked to her door, she peeked through the peephole. Shizune.

She opened the door, "What is it Shizune?" she asked, irritated, glaring at her, folding her arms across her chest.

"Lady Tsunade...," she gasped, panting hard, and sweating profusely, she must have run here, "It's...Neji!! You...must come at once...you must heal him...he's badly injured!!"

Tsunade's eyes widened, "What!?" she yelled, stunned, "How!?"

"It was Guy...he didn't...mean...to...he brought Neji in..." gasped Shizune, struggling for breath.

Tsunade didn't waste time on more questions, she pushed past Shizune, and took off at top speed towards the hospital.

--

**Five Minutes Later...**

Tsunade arrived at hospital completely out of breath, and barely able to talk.

They immediately showed her to Neji's surgery room, and she scrubbed in. The surgeons and the healers were all gathered around him, and as Tsunade entered the room, they parted, revealing Neji's broken form.

Tsunade gasped as she looked at him. Neji was a broken, bloody mess, he barely looked human anymore. Everywhere, there was more blood, more bones sticking out of the skin, more carnage. She could only tell where his head was by the mass of hair, matted and congealed with blood.

Tsunade didn't waste a moment on formalities, she plunged forward, straight into the carnage without fear.

"Get me six blood transfusion packets, NOW!!" she yelled to no one in particular.

The doctors rushed to follow her orders, and were careful not to upset her.

She immediately began to pour healing chakra into him, healing as much of him as she could.

'_This is __**not **__how I planned to spend my evening.'_ she thought grimly as she tucked his femur back into his leg.

--

**Sixteen Hours Later...**

Tsunade finally emerged from the surgical room, looking exhausted beyond words.

Her scrubs were covered from the waist up in blood, her latex gloves were coated in it, and she'd used so much chakra, she could barely stand, but Neji was going to live. He was even going to make a full recovery.

Tsunade stumbled forward a few steps, and collapsed. Luckily, Shizune was there to catch her, and support her along, before helping her to collapse upon a bench.

After a few minutes, she was finally able to muster up enough strength to talk, "Shizune, who did that to Neji?" she asked in exhaustion, her eyes closed, head leaned back against the wall.

"It was Might Guy," said Shizune steadily, knowing Tsunade was in no mood for beating around the bush.

Tsunade sighed heavily, "Damn...," sighed Tsunade, "He must've held back. He could've killed him."

"Yes," said Shizune quietly, sitting down next to her, "He could have."

"Shizune," asked Tsunade after a few minutes, "Have they found Hinata yet?"

Shizune hesitated for a moment, "No, not yet, but they're still looking." she answered gently.

"Damn." Tsunade swore, right before she passed out.

The last thing she heard was Shizune's worried voice.

"_My Lady...Tsunade...__**Tsunade!!**__"_

--

Hinata woke up with the sunrise, the burning of her muscles, and the jolting of her stomach. She barely made it out of her bedroll and into the trees before she hit her knees and vomited onto the grass. She stayed on her knees, panting, her head still spinning, and her ears ringing. Then, without warning, her stomach lurched again, and she doubled over, and began to wretch. There was nothing left in her stomach to vomit, so she dry heaved for several minutes.

Finally, she felt well enough to stagger to her feet and make it back to the campsite. She cleaned herself up, changed her clothes, and made herself a breakfast of three fresh apples and two pieces of bread, along with a cup of instant ramen. She then took her pre-natal vitamins, and some medicine for morning sickness.

She then packed everything up, burned her empty ramen cup, buried the apple cores, buried the embers of the fire, and took off into the canopy of the trees.

She began to jump from branch to branch, hiding her chakra signature, just like her sensei taught her to. Her muscles had loosened since she'd woken that morning, however, they were still incredibly sore, and she had to force herself to keep moving.

As she headed farther and farther north, she began to think to herself, '_What should I name my son?'_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, still don't want him.

Well here's my next chapter. I should warn you, there's some angst and sorrow coming up, so keep a look out and beware.

--

Don't Give Up on Me

Might Guy sat alone at the bar that night, slowly swirling the ice in his drink.

He didn't even blink as his long time best friend, Kakashi, popped up next to him out of nowhere.

"Kakashi." he said monotonously, not even turning to look at him.

"Guy." Kakashi responded in a carefully practiced neutral voice.

"You're here about Neji?" Guy asked quietly, before downing his entire drink in one gulp.

"You almost killed him." stated Kakashi quietly, taking a seat in the barstool next to him.

"Yeah, so what?" asked Guy, hurling his empty glass aside, "Another sake, and one for my friend."

The bartender brought Guy his sixth glass of sake, and another for Kakashi.

"So what? You almost killed one of your students!" said Kakashi angrily, turning to look at him.

"Yeah, and he's the student who got me kicked down to a Chunin! Do you know how hard it was to make Jounin? To get this strong?" asked Guy in frustration, still not looking at him.

"Yes, I do, but I don't believe that's why you did it." stated Kakashi in a deadly quiet tone.

"Yeah, well what do you know?" asked Guy angrily, turning to glare at him, downing his sake again.

Kakashi didn't turn, he stared down into his own drink, "I challenge you." he said quietly.

"What!?" asked Guy in disbelief, glaring bleary eyed at him.

Kakashi downed his drink in one gulp, before turning to face Guy, "You heard me, let's even the score. Let's make it fifty wins and fifty losses." he said seriously, looking Guy in the eyes.

Guy gaped at him, "You're not serious!?" he asked dubiously.

Kakashi stood up, and for a response, punched Guy in the face as hard as he could.

Guy went flying off of his barstool from the force of the punch. He flew into the back wall of the bar, and smashed straight through the brick wall.

Guy was still for an instant, before staggering to his feet, using what was left of the wall for support. He looked up at Kakashi, determination burning in his eyes.

"Kakashi, I never thought you were one for a sneak attack. Pretty clever," he said, wiping the blood away from his jaw, grinning his trademark grin.

"Well, you didn't respond fast enough," said Kakashi in his easygoing way, smiling through his mask.

"You'll pay for that," said Guy with a chuckle, stepping back into the bar through the hole in the wall.

"Okay," said Kakashi, grinning unconcernedly at him, "But you'll have to catch me first!"

With that, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Kakashi, you won't get away that easily!" yelled Guy, racing out of the bar.

He cast his eyes to the sky just in time to see the retreating figure of the Copy Ninja, heading west towards the training grounds.

--

Hinata had stopped for lunch when the ninja found her.

She'd made a short stop because her stomach was growling non-stop. She hadn't realized that when your pregnant, you're hungry all the time.

She'd sat down, and ate two whole cans of condensed soup straight out of the cans. She followed that up with a long drink of water, and some painkillers.

She'd just finished her lunch when, without warning, she felt several chakra signatures almost on top of her.

She spun around just in time to see several dog-faced Anbu ninja leaping out of the trees, coming towards her.

She was back on her feet, and jumping before she even realized what was happening, pumping her legs as fast as she could, jumping to the next trees.

She could feel the Anbu bearing down on her as she jumped from tree to tree, pumping chakra to her feet to increase her speed as much as possible.

Then, without warning, she felt a jolt of pain in her ankle. She crashed into a branch, whirling around, just in time to see an Anbu wire trap wrapped around her ankle. She began to try to pull free, and an instant later, an Anbu was next to her.

Hinata felt her heart pounding away furiously in her chest, terror coursing throughout of her body as she looked into the expressionless masked dog face of the Anbu. She struggled against the trap, pulling away from the Anbu as he reached for her.

She screamed in terror, yanking furiously against the wire that held her.

Then, without warning, the wire snapped, freeing her leg.

Hinata pulled the freed leg to her chest, then, in the instant before the Anbu grabbed her, she struck out blindly with her leg, and smashed it into the Anbu's chest.

The Anbu was thrown back just far enough for Hinata to scramble to her feet, and leap to the next tree.

He was up in an instant, and after her.

Hinata had enough sense to activate her Byakugan, and was able to avoid the rest of the traps.

The Anbu was right behind though, and gaining. Hinata could see that the rest of the Anbu were closing in on her from all sides.

She was gasping for breath, her heart pumping wildly, fear permeating her mind, making rational thought almost impossible.

Luckily, Hinata's Hyuuga instincts kicked in, and in the instants before the Anbu closed her in, she thought of a plan.

She quickly formed the seals, fumbling with her fingers as she was trying to avoid the Anbu, keep her Byakugan up, and keep the chakra flow to her feet steady.

Finally, she was able to form the correct seals for a perfect Shadow Clone Jutsu, just like she'd taught herself to do after watching Naruto do it for years.

A moment later, and there was seven of her. She gasped at the exertion of holding up the jutsu, right before she, and her clones plunged into a particularly dense clump of leaves.

In the instant that she was out of sight of the Anbu, she quickly conjured another clone, handed her pack off to the new clone. Then her clones leaped out of the clump of leaves, and she remained behind.

An instant later, the Anbu who'd been right behind her jumped into the clump of leaves, just like she knew he would.

Before he even knew what was going on, she had him by the neck, and an instant later, and he was out cold, via a blow to the head.

Hinata acted quickly, she pulled off his mask, getting a good look at his face, she then transformed. She took his mask, armor, clothes and pulled them on quickly, and then she jumped out of the clump of leaves, and fell in place behind the other Anbu. She was careful to disguise her chakra from them.

She had to smile to herself, despite her pounding heart. They hadn't noticed the change.

She continued along behind the Anbu, and her clones, until her clones split off, each one of them going in a different direction, and just like she knew they would, each Anbu ninja trailed after a clone, leaving her to trail the one that was still heading straight north.

--

Kakashi reached the training grounds mere moments before Guy caught up to him with a punch in the face.

Kakashi went flying a hundred feet before flipping over in midair, and skidding to a controlled stop on the ground, right before blasting chakra to his feet, and exploding forward, and smashing his fist into Guy's stomach, sending him flying.

Guy was back on his feet in an instant, racing forward, before disappearing for a moment. A second later he reappeared right under Kakashi, nailing him directly under the chin with a kick, before vanishing again, just to appear right behind Kakashi as he was somersaulting through the air. He placed one hand on Kakashi's back, right before grabbing him around the middle, twirling in midair, and rocketing back to Earth, and slamming Kakashi into the ground headfirst.

Guy leaped away from Kakashi an instant before Kakashi collided, flipping through the air to land neatly on the ground. He slowly walked to where Kakashi was still sticking out of the ground.

"Well Kakashi, looks like it's _fifty-one _to forty-nine," said Guy with a smile, before twirling in place, and pumping his fist in the air.

"Not quite," said a quiet, amused voice behind Guy, "Nice Primary Lotus though, well executed."

Guy turned to look back over his shoulder, just in time to see Kakashi crouched behind him, his hands folded together, his index and forefingers held together.

Guy gulped, right before, "THOUSAND YEARS OF PAIN!!" yelled Kakashi, and thrust his fingers forward.

Guy stood stock still for a single instant, before, "YEEEEEOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHH!!" he howled, flying thirty feet into the air.

Guy landed face first twenty feet away, rubbing his sore backside, before flipping over, and glaring angrily at Kakashi.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" yelled Guy furiously, glaring at Kakashi with hatred.

Kakashi smirked, "There are no rules to these little competitions, remember?" he asked with a devilish smirk.

"WELL THAT SHOULD DEFINATELY BE AGAINST THE RULES!!" yelled Guy furiously, trying to stand, despite the pain in his spine and butt.

Kakashi smirked again, "So does this mean I win?" he asked in a mockingly coy voice.

"NO!!" howled Guy, right before he exploded forward and began to hammer Kakashi as hard as he could in the stomach and chest.

Kakashi vanished an instant later, appearing an instant later behind Guy, right before slamming a super charged kick right into his back, sending him hurtling forward, and smashing into a nearby tree.

Guy struggled to regain his footing after being temporarily stunned, "Wow, Kakashi," he said, as he wobbled slightly, "Have you been practicing?"

"No, but I'm not half-drunk either," said Kakashi with a carefree smile, waving at him, "Do you want to give up?"

"Ha, you only wish I'd give up," said Guy, standing up, and flexing his muscles, and getting into position.

"Well then, I guess the fight goes on," said Kakashi with a smirk, right before he launched himself towards Guy.

--

**Three Hours Later...**

Kakashi was sailing through the air for what felt like the billionth time, before colliding with the ground with yet another bone jarring crunch.

He lay on the ground for a second, before Guy's happy, gloating voice called out, "Hey Kakashi, ready to give up yet!"

'_Damn! Where does he get the energy to fight like this!?'_ thought Kakashi, as he pushed himself to his feet, yet again, ignoring the painful jolts that shot up his legs, arms, and spine as he stood.

Kakashi forced himself into a defensive pose, drawing into his chakra reserves to find the strength to rocket himself towards Guy, and then to smash his fist into Guy's face. Guy flew twenty feet, and was able to flip over in mid air, and come to a controlled stop. He then exploded back towards Kakashi and sent him flying seventy feet with a super powered kick to the chest.

Kakashi crashed into the ground again, and managed to force himself up onto his hands and knees, gasping and panting for breath, pain shooting throughout his entire body.

He and Guy had been going at this for three hours now, and it was starting to take it's toll on Kakashi. Actually, it had taken it's toll on him within the first hour of the fight, now it was getting ridiculous.

His whole body hurt, he was digging down into chakra reserves he didn't even know he had, he'd even had to reveal his Sharingan eye, just to keep pace with the angry Green Beast.

Kakashi should have known it was a bad idea to take Guy on in a physical fight, even if Guy was seriously inebriated. Kakashi was strong, ridiculously strong, but Guy was strong to a point that most people couldn't even imagine.

Kakashi mulled all this over as he knelt, gasping on his hands and knees, trying to refill his bruised lungs with air. He began to cough, and he kept coughing. He was coughing so bad he had to pull his mask down to draw in as much oxygen as possible to keep breathing and not pass out.

"Kakashi, are you all right?" asked Guy, concerned, walking closer to him, "Maybe you should give up."

As he spoke, Kakashi's coughing reached a climax, and he coughed up a mouthful of bloody phlegm and spit.

"Kakashi!!" said Guy in horror, racing to him, and dropping to his own knees, to examine Kakashi more closely.

"Heh, Guy, I must be wearing you down," gasped Kakashi, reaching up to wipe the bloody spit from his chin.

"Hm." said Guy, his brow furrowing in confusion as he leaned in closer to look at Kakashi's now maskless face.

"You should know, never,_ ever _care about your opponent," said Kakashi, looking up at him, grinning, his eyes triumphant.

A split second later, before Guy could even react, Kakashi slammed his fist so hard into Guy's jaw that he went flying over three hundred feet to the complete other side of the training grounds.

A few seconds later, and Guy was back on his feet, and so was Kakashi, "Dammit Kakashi!!" yelled Guy, his voice stern and filled with concern, "Don't keep doing this, your killing yourself!! JUST GIVE UP!!"

"Ha, I thought you didn't believe in giving up," said Kakashi quietly, panting, "I can't believe you'd ask me to throw a match just because your losing!"

"Grrr..." growled Guy angrily, not buying his friends act, "Don't pretend Kakashi, you're almost dead on your feet. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!!"

"BECASUE, I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF!!" yelled Kakashi furiously, gasping in rage.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Guy howled back, fury and anger dominating his features.

"YOU ALMOST KILLED HIM GUY!!" Kakashi yelled hysterically, breathing hard, "And don't even begin to pretend that didn't bother you."

Guy looked stunned and ashamed for a minute, before he dropped to his knees. His eyes were filled with disbelief and his face held a blank, lost look. As he was on his knees, he brought his fisted hands to his face, then began to pound his forehead with his fists.

Kakashi walked slowly to his friends side, just as Guy dropped from his kneeling position to a sitting position. His fists were now grasping handfuls of his hair, his eyes now tightly clenched shut, and his whole body was shaking from the force of his pent up emotions.

Kakashi stopped next to Guy, and dropped to a squatting position next to his friend, "Guy." he said softly, smiling gently at him.

A broken, harsh sounding sob erupted from Guy's chest, and a few lone tears slipped down his anguished face.

"Oh God, Kakashi, I almost killed him..." choked Guy in a heart-wrenching sob, "_My own __**student,**__ and I almost __**killed **__him!!"_

"Guy..." said Kakashi quietly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, "You're right, you _could've _killed him, but you didn't and that's what counts."

"But I _wanted to!_" gasped Guy in anguish, rocking back and forth, "I wanted to kill a defenseless, confused teenager!! _What the hell is wrong with me!?"_

_"_There's nothing wrong with you," said Kakashi gently, "It's a normal reaction to want to hurt him. I mean, he may have been confused, but he's the older one, he should have never started an inappropriate relationship with his cousin. Plus, I'm betting there was more than a few people in that room who wanted to kill him even more than you did."

"But he _trusted _me Kakashi, I was his teacher, I'm always preaching about how I protect my students, then I turn around and do this!" cried Guy in anguish, more and more tears slipping down his face, "He kept begging me to stop, but I _wouldn't!"_

"It's not as bad as it could be, and I think you_ were _protecting him," said Kakashi quietly, dropping from his squatting position to a sitting one.

"Really? How do you figure _that_?" asked Guy, eyes still clamped tightly shut. He continued to shake, and let out sporadic sobs.

"Because, by beating Neji stupid, and getting him put in the hospital, you made sure Kurenai, Hiashi and Hanabi couldn't get to him, not to mention Kiba and Shino," said Kakashi simply, smiling gently at his distraught friend.

"What?!" asked Guy in astonishment, turning to look at him, face still wet, but he was no longer sobbing.

"Yes, I shudder to think what would have happened to him if Hiashi got to him. I mean, he could have activated that Caged Bird Seal and let Neji's brain melt." said Kakashi, smiling encouragingly at his friend.

"Do you really think so?" asked Guy, wiping his eyes, looking at Kakashi hopefully.

"Of course, and Kurenai? She would have tortured him to death slowly, and let his body get eaten by stray dogs. Trust me, she's terrifying when she's mad. Have you ever seen a mother tiger protecting her cubs? Kurenai's like that, only a million times worse." said Kakashi lightly, grinning amusedly at him, the moonlight shining off of his handsome, maskless features.

"Well, yes, she is very terrifying," said Guy with a weak smile, regaining some composure, sitting up straighter.

"And what about her teammates, Kiba and Shino? I actually shudder to think what an Inuzuka and an Aburame could think up if they put their heads together. Half of Neji would probably end up Akamaru kibble, and the other half would probably end up the breeding ground for a vicious new strain of bugs." said Kakashi with a small laugh, patting Guy's back comfortingly.

"Yeah, I suppose those two would be a real threat," said Guy quietly, eyes downcast, before he brought them up to look into Kakashi's mismatched ones, "Thanks Kakashi."

His voice resonated gratitude, and his eyes were filled with remorse.

"Anytime." said Kakashi with a smile, "Do you want to go see him?"

Guy sighed heavily, right before he stood up, "Okay Kakashi, you win. Let's go." he said, before helping pull Kakashi to his feet.

Kakashi stumbled as he tried to stand, but Guy caught him before he fell.

"Thanks," panted Kakashi, smiling at his friend as Guy supported him along.

"Anytime." said Guy with a smile, "But this means I'm still winning. Fifty-one to forty-nine."

"Of course, Guy," said Kakashi, smiling indulgently at him, "Just keep telling yourself that."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto, I still don't want him.

Okay, the last chapter may have been a little confusing, but it's going to get better. I promise. Also, sorry it took so long to update.

--

Don't Give Up on Me

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST HER!?"

"Well...uh...you see...Lady Hokage..."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!! YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE!! YOU ARE THE ANBU BLACK OPS, YOU'RE NOT _SUPPOSED _TO _LOSE __**ANYONE!!**_"

The half naked Anbu ninja cowered in fear.  
He and his comrades had just returned after almost catching the Hyuuga girl, and Lady Tsunade was _not _pleased.

He was the one who'd allowed Hinata to knock him unconscious and steal his uniform and mask. Needless to say, Tsunade blamed the whole missions failure on him.

He knew he deserved the blame, he was the one who'd been tricked into following her out of sight of his comrades. A rookie mistake, but he'd never expected her to use such advanced skills on him. He'd heard that she was just a Genin. However, he should have realized, she wasn't _just _a Genin. She was a Hyuuga. And a determined one at that.

Lady Tsunade continued to yell at him for over an hour, insulting him and calling into question his competence as a ninja. However, she eventually tired of yelling at him, and made him report.

He reported how he and his comrades discovered her, instead of heading northeast, she was heading straight north. She wasn't going to the land of Snow, she was headed in the direction of the land of Rain.

"Well that's just perfect," said Tsunade sardonically, rubbing her temples, attempting to fight off what had become a permanent migraine.

The Anbu remained silent as he looked at her in fear.

"Very well, you're dismissed, but I want you and the rest of the Anbu searching for her," said Tsunade dismissively, waving her hand for him to leave.

"Right," said the Anbu, snapping to attention, the blanket he was using to cover up falling to the ground.

"Leave now please," said Tsunade quickly, covering her eyes to avoid seeing him in his blue frog boxers.

"Yes Ma'am!" he cried loudly, grabbing his blanket and dashing out of the office.

--

**Three Weeks Later...**

The now fully clothed Anbu was once again standing in front of Tsunade, once again giving a report.

"So we still have yet to find her, it seems whenever we find somewhere she camped, she's already gone," he said steadily as he read from his report.

"Very well, I get it, you can't find her yet," said Tsunade in annoyance, waving him away with one hand, and rubbing the bridge of her nose with the other.

"Well...uh...yeah that's it," he said, a little crestfallen, "Should I just go?"

"Yes! You have no idea how happy it would make me if you left!" exclaimed Tsunade in exasperation, glaring up at him.

"Okay," he said dejectedly, "Oh, and Kurenai Yuhi is here for her appointment."

"Send her in," said Tsunade, massaging her temples, still fighting off her now permanent migraine.

He nodded sullenly before he turned and exited.

A minute later, Kurenai walked into the office looking like she hadn't slept in ten years.

"You wanted to see me Lady Hokage?" asked Kurenai in a strained, cracking voice as she entered.

"Yes, Kurenai, I know these past few weeks have been especially hard on you, but I'm afraid I have some more bad news..." said Lady Tsunade despondently, folding her hands together on her desk.

"What more bad news?" asked Kurenai, sounding completely exhausted and defeated.

"Well, it concerns your team, team eight isn't it?" asked Tsunade quietly, looking a little depressed.

"Uhh...yes." said Kurenai cautiously, regarding the Hokage suspiciously.

"Well..." began Lady Tsunade, "It's like this..."

--

**Twenty Minutes Later...**

Kiba Inuzuka was very bored.

He was currently waiting for his sensei and the last member of his team to arrive at the training grounds where Kurenai had told them to meet. Apparently there was something urgent the Hokage needed done that concerned them.

Kiba was also a little confused as to why he and his teammates and sensei hadn't met before today. It had been over a month since their last training session and Kiba was getting a little antsy being forced to remain idle while everyone else went on missions. He hadn't even seen his female teammate Hinata for over a month now, and he was missing her.

'_But she's probably been getting in a bunch of training,' _Kiba reasoned to himself as he waited with his other teammate, Shino Aburame, for his sensei and teammate to arrive.

Finally, Kurenai arrived, and walked over to them.

"Hey Kurenai sensei, long time no see!" Kiba greeted her, walking up to her, "Hey, where's Hinata?"

Kurenai sighed in exhaustion, "Hey guys, we need to talk." she said wearily, seating herself on a stump, gesturing for them to sit as well.

Shino and Kiba looked at each other in confusion, before they each sat down on a rock opposite their sensei.

"Hey Sensei, what's up?" asked Kiba worriedly, "Is there something wrong? And shouldn't we wait for Hinata?"

She sighed again, looking like she was about to bawl, "No Kiba, we can't wait for Hinata, she's gone."

"WHAT!?" howled both boys in unison, looking at her in shock, gaping.

"Yes, Hinata has been officially missing for three weeks now," said Kurenai in a defeated voice, hanging her head.

"But...she's...and...b...but...and...she...but she's...and she..." babbled Kiba in dismay, looking lost.

"This cannot be," Shino cut him off curtly, "Hinata has been our teammate for two years, and she is not a coward. Besides, what reason would she have for running?"

"Yes!" cried Kiba triumphantly, "Shino's right, she doesn't have a reason to leave!"

Kurenai sighed miserably, burying her head in her hands, before straightening up, and looking at them purposefully, "Listen guys," she said fiercely, "What I'm about to tell you, what I want you to understand is that you need to handle this with maturity and tact, do you understand?"

They both nodded and added, "Yes Kurenai sensei."

She looked at both of them and their resolute faces, "Well, the reason Hinata felt it was necessary to flee the village is because she felt she was going to be forced to do something that disagrees with everything she believes in and holds dear, and she decided it wasn't worth it to sacrifice her values for this," said Kurenai delicately, trying to break the news gently.

"Just spit it out sensei," said Kiba in irritation, "We can handle it!"

"Okay then, Hinata left the village to avoid being forced into getting an abortion!" said Kurenai sharply.

The boys simply stared slack-jawed at her like she'd sprouted antlers and started ballroom dancing with a tree.

Shino was first to get his voice back, "You mean...she was..._is..._" he started to say, disbelief coloring his voice.

"Yes," Kurenai cut him off, "She _is _pregnant."

Kiba simply gawked open-mouthed at them, he kept mouthing, like he was trying to talk, but no sound was coming out.

Finally however, he got his voice back, "Who's...who's...I mean...who did she...uh...how...I mean..." Kiba spluttered incredulously, tilting his head to the left, looking so lost it was pathetic.

"What Kiba means is, who's the father?" asked Shino quietly, averting his eyes.

Kurenai sighed heavily, kneading her forehead with her knuckles, "Well, I suppose I should tell you, but first, I need to tell you why I called you here." she said faintly, staring at them.

"Why can't you tell us now!?" Kiba yelled in rage, standing up, his hands balled into fists.

"Because," Shino said quietly, "If she did tell us the name of the father now, we would leave immediately to find him, and she couldn't tell us what we need to hear."

Kiba thought this over, fury radiating off his body in waves, his hands repeatedly clenching into fists, grinding his teeth.

Finally, he sat back down, crossed his arms and legs, and glared at everyone, "Well, what is it?" he asked in frustration after a minute.

Kurenai exhaled deeply, looking at them, "Due to my negligence as a teacher and my failure to watch Hinata well enough, I've been dropped a full rank, making me a Chunin," she said softly.

"What?! That's not fair!" declared Kiba angrily, looking furious all over again.

"Kiba! Calm down, it doesn't matter!" Kurenai scolded sharply, glaring at him.

Kiba looked angry still, but he calmed down, "Now, because I'm again a Chunin, I can no longer be your sensei," said Kurenai evenly.

"But...!" cried Kiba, dismayed, "You're the only sensei we want!"

Kurenai forced a pained smile, "Yes, I understand that, but I can't," she said sorrowfully, "But that's not all, under direct orders from the Hokage, because you no longer have a sensei, or a third teammate, she has ordered that team eight be disassembled, and that you two be reassigned to a different team."

"WHAT!?" they both yelled simultaneously, staring open-mouthed and bug eyed at her.

"You can't be serious!!" Kiba exclaimed, leaping to his feet, stunned.

"There must be another way!" Shino demanded urgently, leaning closer to her, his glasses slipping down his nose.

"I'm afraid there isn't." said Kurenai gently, reaching up to grasp Kiba's hand in an attempt to calm him.

"But...but...and...sensei...Kurenai...please don't!" Kiba implored urgently, looking at her in desperation.

"Kiba, don't beg like a common dog!" snapped Shino, getting to his feet, "We are still a team, just one on hold. What's important now is that we find out who hurt Hinata."

"Right," said Kiba, composing himself, taking a deep breath, squeezing Kurenai's hand for comfort, before dropping it.

"That's better," said Shino quietly, looking down at his ex-sensei, "Now, can you please tell us who the father of Hinata's child is?"

She took a deep breath, "Okay, now you said you'd be mature, now, if I tell you this, you have to promise not to kill him," she said sternly, looking in particular at Kiba.

"We promise," they both said quickly.

"Very well, the father is Neji Hyuuga." said Kurenai in an unwavering voice, keeping steady eye contact with them.

There was a moment of pure silence as the reality of her words sunk in to them.

Then...

"HE'S A BLOODY DEAD MAN!!" screamed Kiba manically, exploding past them as fast as he could.

An instant later and he was out of sight completely.

"Don't worry Kurenai sensei," said Shino quietly, "Kiba will not kill Neji Hyuuga, that honor will lie solely with you."

Then, Shino vanished in a whirlwind of insects.

--

Three weeks had passed and Hinata had still managed to avoid capture.

However, she had run into a snag. She hadn't anticipated how much morning sickness would affect her, and her appetite.

She was constantly hungry, so she was constantly stopping to eat. On top of that, she had morning sickness all the time, even though she took the medicines for it. So she would eat a lot when she stopped, then vomit it right back up, so she'd have to eat more.

The major snag that she'd hit was that she had almost run out of food. The only food she had left was three cans of tomato soup and the baby food, and she wasn't about to eat the food she was saving for her son.  
She'd anticipated running out of food, so she'd bought a book on edible herbs and vegetables that could be found in the forests surrounding the village. She was managing to find herbs alright. However, her protein levels were dropping, and she needed to eat meat or risk losing her son from lack of proper nourishment.

She decided it was best to begin hunting before she ran completely out of food.

Now, she was hiding in some bushes, watching intently as the sun sank below the tree line, painting the blue sky with bloody crimson and golden hues. She was waiting for all the nocturnal animals to come out. The only big game that was ever out in the day was cattle, and they belonged to villagers. Plus, going after a cow would mean backtracking to the village, and she couldn't afford to do that.

Soon, the sun was completely gone, and the forest began to wake up.

Hinata chewed her lip in apprehension as she felt the natural chakra energy of a deer pass close by her position.

She held her breath as she saw the same deer she'd felt earlier cautiously shuffle into the clearing that Hinata was watching. The deer walked farther in, walking straight to the trap Hinata had set, and a few seconds later, the deer stepped directly into the wire.

The deer screamed as it was hoisted into the air, flailing wildly. Hinata was quick to run into the clearing, leaping to the deer's side, kunai in hand. As she put the kunai to the deer's throat, she looked into it's eyes. She was surprised, the deer wasn't even looking at her, it was looking past her.

Hinata turned around, curious, and was taken aback by what she saw. A little deer, small and wobbly on it's legs, spots adorning its back. The little faun stared at her curiously with it's huge luminous eyes. It bleated softly at her and took a hesitant step towards her.

Hinata felt a wave of guilt and shame wash over her. The deer in her trap was a mother, worried about her baby, just like her.

She knew she couldn't sacrifice this mother simply to feed herself, she would be taking the faun's mother away from it.

She slowly reached her kunai up to the wire that held the deer's leg, and slit the wire into pieces. An instant later, and the mother deer was back on her feet, and she looked at Hinata.

Hinata supposed it might be a trick of the moonlight, but she could've sworn that the deer was thanking her with it's eyes as it looked at her.

A second later and the deer loped past her, leaping into the dense trees, followed closely by the faun. A mere moment later, and they had disappeared.

Hinata sighed as she collapsed to her knees, then she collapsed into a sitting position, letting her head droop against her chest. She felt herself being overcome by exhaustion and misery.

Right at that moment, she felt the full gravity of her situation descend on her.

She was all alone, not a single friend in the world could or would help her right now. She was almost out of food, and if she did run out of food, none of this would matter anyway, her baby would die. She was a fugitive now, she could never go back, even if she wanted to. Plus, if she wasn't careful and didn't find some protein soon, her baby would die regardless.

Hinata couldn't bear the thought of losing her son now. He was a part of her and she hadn't even met him yet, but she couldn't let him die.

He was hers, and she couldn't let anyone take him.

But if he did die in the womb.

If it was her fault.

The thought that she might inadvertently kill her own baby, all while trying to protect him was enough to send her into a pit of absolute misery.

Hinata fought to control her emotions and not to cry, but it was a losing battle.

Tears began to slip down her face, slowly at first, but they came faster and faster until they flooded down her face without mercy and she began to sob hysterically.

Hinata brought her hands to her face, drawing her knees to her chest, crossing her arms over the tops of her knees, burying her face into her forearms. She sobbed and sobbed, tears staining her jacket, her whole chest echoing with the sounds of her agonizing anguish.

Hinata sobbed hysterically for a full ten minutes before she was able to forcibly silence her despair.

When she had finally finished crying, she forced herself to her feet and forced herself to reset her trap, and to return to her hiding spot in the bushes to wait for more game.

--

**Two Hours Later...**

Hinata's long waiting had finally panned out and she was currently slicing, cleaning and smoking the meat from the massive buck she'd captured in her trap.

She sat by her fire, humming to herself as she seasoned a large flank piece with some of the herbs she'd collected from around the forest. She then placed the flank piece onto the small cooking stove she'd brought, leaving the meat to cook. While the meat cooked, she worked busily on smoking and preserving the rest of the buck so she could carry it with her.

It took a little over an hour to cut, smoke, and pack all of the meat. When she was finished, Hinata immediately brought out her cooking pots, and filled the largest one with water from her canteen.

To that she added several different herbs and spices she'd collected from around the forest. After letting that simmer for a while over the fire, she added a half a cup of the juices that had run off while she was cutting the almost fully cooked flank piece of buck meat. After letting the whole thing simmer for a few more minutes, she added the cut pieces of flank meat she had prepared.

She let the whole mixture stew over the fire for several minutes while she set up camp. She set up a whole perimeter of paper bombs and various traps around her campsite. After that, she unrolled her bedroll, and made a spot where she could sleep. She then refilled her canteens from a nearby stream, and then washed her knives and measuring tools in the cool running water.

After she was finished she returned to the campsite, and took up a position by the fire. A few minutes later, and she decided her stew was finished, and she removed it from the fire, and dished herself a sizeable bowl of the hearty stew, and inhaled the delicious scent of the hot soup. She smiled to herself as she took the first bite of freshly prepared food that she'd had in weeks.

After she was finished with her meal, Hinata washed her bowl and cooking pot out. She then quickly bathed herself in the stream. After she was finished, she relieved herself behind a tree, then returned to her campsite. She then changed into a fresh outfit, after which she snuggled down into her bedroll, and let her eyes drift shut.

--

Tenten had never been more angry or confused in her whole life. She was currently sitting next to her teammate Neji's bed, and thinking of all the ways she would hurt him when he woke up.

She was absolutely incensed about what Guy sensei had told her and Lee yesterday. He'd told them that Neji was in the hospital in stable condition and currently in a medically induced coma.

She'd been stunned and terrified when she'd found out the boy she'd had a crush on for years was hurt. Then Guy had told them how he'd ended up in the hospital.

Tenten had been absolutely thunderstruck when she'd found out her overly caring sensei had sent Neji to the hospital.

Her surprise had quickly turned to absolute rage when she'd found out _why _her sensei had hospitalized Neji.

The thought that the boy she'd thought she was completely in love with had done that to his fourteen year old cousin was one that sickened her. When she'd heard about it, it was so disgusting and horrible she'd actually been physically sick.

Lee had taken the news worse than she had. He was so stunned and taken aback he could barely believe that his honorable rival had done such a unspeakable and appalling thing that he'd sat in complete silence for a full five minutes.

Those had been the quietest minutes of Tenten's life.

Her whole life was always filled with noise. The happy noise of a hard days training with her team. The happy yelling of her sensei and Lee when they were giving impassioned speeches about youth and hard work. The quiet, inspiring words of wisdom Neji would deal out sporadically when he thought it was appropriate. The happy laughing and clanking of dishes she'd always hear when she came home for dinner. The hum of the day to day life of the villagers, going about their business. The twittering of birds whenever she'd walk through the woods of Kohona. Even when she'd lay down for bed, she'd hear the nightly sounds of the village. The quiet hum of the power transformers outside her window, the faraway bark of mongrel dogs, the sounds of hushed whispers as a pair of young lovers met near her open window.

But those minutes, those five minutes, the whole world went dead and silent. No birds, no barking dogs, no impassioned youth speeches.

Her sensei was silent as he let the news sink in. Lee sat, stunned, trying to absorb the news. She stood in absolutely deafening silence, her rage so strong she was actually shaking. She stood, letting the feeling of all consuming fury course through her veins.

When the silence was finally broken, Lee stood, said he was going to train, and left.

Lee was so torn up from Neji's betrayal of his honor that he'd run laps around the village until he'd dropped from absolute exhaustion. Then he got up and did it again.

From what she'd heard from Guy sensei, he was still doing it.

She just couldn't understand, if Neji had wanted to take his frustrations on someone, she would always have been willing to help him. He was a genius, he could have figured out a way to keep himself from violating his cousin like that.

He tainted Hinata, made her sound like a common whore, took away her precious innocence.

The whole village was buzzing about it now. The Hokage had just today released official confirmation to the village about Hinata's MIA status, and her current health situation. The rumors were already flying.

The villagers were saying all kinds of things, and every one of them had a different opinion on the situation. Some of them didn't think it was all that wrong, if they were in love. Others thought Hinata was some kind of Hyuuga whore who'd gotten what was coming to her for jumping into bed with every man in the clan. Some of them thought it was Neji's fault, they thought Neji had raped her and he should be promptly killed. Some thought that Hiashi was a completely psycho madman who'd forced Hinata and Neji to have sex so that Hinata would get pregnant with a perfect Hyuuga clan heir, one who would be a genius and a main house family member. Other people were staunch in their defending of both parties, calling them confused teenagers placed in an unhealthy situation, and that it was only a matter of time before the Hyuuga clan cracked up, and that this was the only logical outcome of the main and branch separation. Other people simply didn't care.

Tenten wasn't sure what she believed, but she did know one thing. When Neji woke up and recovered, she was going to punch him so hard in face he was going to see stars. Then she was going to make him explain himself to her, and she'd go from there on how she felt about him.

For now however, he was healing from the most severe beating he'd ever received, and she would make sure that no one could hurt him.

At least not until he woke up.

--

P.S. I know I don't do this very often, but I was wondering, do any of you have any suggestions for what Hinata's baby should be named? If you do, when you review, you can tell me what you think it should be.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto, I have no plans to acquire him anytime soon.

Thank you all for reviewing my last chapter. I don't remember if I mentioned it before, there is a significant time skip coming up, and I know there are people who don't like time skips, so if you don't like them, I'd advise you stop reading. Also, I should tell you right now, I have a clear ending in mind, and you don't have to worry about that. Also, I should've warned you earlier, before you got so far in, this story will be almost ridiculously long. I apologize for that, and I will completely understand if you choose to stop reading, because I really don't want any unnecessary flames saying that I didn't warn you. I hope however, that you will choose to stick it out with me and finish this story. On a final note, this chapter is a little weird in places, so I apologize in advance.

--

Don't Give Up on Me

Murder was the only thing on Kiba's demented mind.

The murder of Neji Hyuuga more than anything else, but anyone who happened to get in his way wouldn't be an non-expendable expense. If anything, it would be a warm up for him.

Kiba absolutely couldn't believe what Neji had done to Hinata. Kiba had never really liked Neji, but he'd always seemed like a stand up guy. Certainly one who wouldn't rape his own cousin.

The thought of Neji's hands all over Hinata, touching her in ways no one should be allowed to. The thought was enough to curdle Kiba's blood and fry his mind. His fingers were burning to wrap themselves around Neji's neck and hold until the light was gone from his eyes and his body was cold.

Kiba knew he had promised his sensei he wouldn't kill Neji, but he also knew that he might not be able to restrain himself once he reached the hospital. He was racing as fast as he could, his feet moving so fast they were a blur to the passerbys.

The thought of Hinata, his innocent teammate, the one who would blush and stutter if anyone said the word 'sex'. The thought of Neji having his fingers on her, touching her, tainting her.

These thoughts rattled around in Kiba's brain, causing vast rivers of hatred and burning anger to erupt in the bottoms of his chest. The feelings slowly pumped through his veins like blood, heating his whole body with fire.

Kiba didn't even quite know why he was so furious, or why he felt so not right inside. He knew he had a right to be angry, but it wasn't just that.

A feeling of total wrongness had taken over Kiba's mind and soul, filling him with unease and anger. It just wasn't right, down to the core of all of the emotions, thoughts, and feelings he'd ever had, none had ever filled him with such a sense of complete and utter wrongness.

Hinata shouldn't be pregnant, Neji shouldn't have ever touched her, Kurenai never should have told him, this never should have happened.

It wasn't just that though, whenever he'd ever felt that something was wrong before, he'd always been able to do something about it. Now though, there was nothing he could do to dislodge this knife of pain and burning ball of wrongness that was lodged in his chest. He was completely helpless to do anything.

Kiba knew he couldn't do anything for Hinata anymore, but he would make sure she was avenged.

He was going to kill Neji Hyuuga, and then he was going to search the four corners of the earth until he found Hinata, and he was going to bring her home.

--

**Four Minutes Later...**

Kiba reached the hospital in record time, barely able to speak as he gasped for air, skidding to a stop directly at the front desk of the hospital.

"W...where...Hyuuga...Neji...bastard...r...room...find...where...?" he gasped, doubled over, hands on his knees.

The nurse behind the front desk seemed to get the gist of what he was saying, replying in a sickly sweet voice, "Neji Hyuuga? Why his room is four halls over that way, room 436."

She gave him a complying, overly sweet smile, and pointed west.

"Th...thanks." Kiba stuttered, turning away, his feet already carrying him west, closer to Neji, and vengeance.

--

**Three Minutes Later...**

Tenten was lost in thought when the door practically exploded off its hinges, revealing a furious looking Kiba Inuzuka.

Tenten reacted quickly, considering the situation. In an instant, she was on her feet, kunai in hand, bent low in a defensive pose, shielding the bed where Neji lay.

"Tenten, _move!" _Kiba hissed, his voice barely a whisper, hatred and vehemence oozing from his voice, chakra beginning to swirl around him.

"I won't let you kill him!" she hissed back, nowhere near matching his hatred or vehemence, but she had a bite all her own. She meant business, and it showed.

The tension in the room shot up so fast Tenten felt she could almost have choked on it.

They stood less than a yard apart, eyes locked, faces etched in stone, neither of them moving an inch. Tenten sized Kiba up, taking in his furious eyes and firmly set jaw, noting his defiant pose.

'_Looks like he's not in the mood for calmly talking this out,' _she thought grimly, tightening her grip on her kunai.

She was startled out of her reverie by a whispering swoosh sound, a whirlwind comprised entirely of bugs forming directly in front of her. From the whirlwind stepped Shino, looking calm and collected. He wasted no time, his hand shot out, gripped her arm, and swiftly and easily removed the kunai from her hand. He then, in one smooth, fluidic motion, swept Kiba's ankles out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground with a thud.

The tension in the room snapped in two like a taut rubber band as Kiba smacked into the ground, looking incredibly undignified. Tenten couldn't help but snicker at his ridiculous transformation.

"Now that we've all been disarmed, how about we talk about this like rational ninja," said Shino quietly, looking from Kiba to her, "And let's try _not _to act like disobedient dogs who promised their sensei's they wouldn't kill Neji."

Kiba glared at Shino from the floor, murder in his eyes, glaring defiantly at him. Shino held his gaze, not flinching, passively gazing down at him. Kiba was first to drop the gaze, choosing instead to look at Shino's shoes. Shino silently offered Kiba his hand, and when Kiba accepted it, he helped pull him to his feet.

Then they both turned to her, "So, why are you so willing to protect a rapist?" asked Kiba in a forced calm voice, his fists repeatedly clenching and unclenching.

Tenten swallowed hard, and forced her voice to be calm, "Neji isn't a rapist. Lady Tsunade made that clear when she addressed the village this morning. I don't appreciate you calling him that." she said, her voice strained, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself just as much as them.

"Hn." snorted Kiba, a growl rumbling in his chest, his eyes narrowing.

"Very well then," Shino cut him off, "Than perhaps you can tell us exactly what happened. Hinata is pregnant with his child, so if he did not rape her, than what?"

She sighed, "Well, I don't know everything, but I guess I know more than anyone else. You're going to have to sit down." she said, sounding ten years older, gesturing to two more chairs across from her own.

They both took their seats across from her, "Well?" said Kiba, irritated, after a pause.

"Well...," she began, "It's like this..."

--

**One Week Later...**

Hinata had never felt more sick in her entire life.

She was currently doubled over in nausea, her stomach lurching and her head spinning. A few seconds later, and she retched, and heaved her entire breakfast onto the grass. She stayed on her hands and knees for a few seconds, gasping for breath, finally pushing herself up into a semi sitting position. A split second later, and her stomach heaved again, and she doubled over, dry retching for a full ten minutes.

When she was finally finished, she shakily pushed herself to her feet and stumbled back to her campsite. She had yet to break camp and travel for the day. Her morning sickness had paralyzed her up until now, and she had been unable to walk, let alone run.

"This...cannot...be...morning sickness...," she panted, wiping her mouth, picking up her hastily abandoned canteen. It had been haphazardly thrown down during her mad dash for the trees as she had run to go puke.

She put the canteen to her lips, and drank greedily, sloshing the water in her mouth to erase the taste of vomit. She spit her mouthful of water onto the ground, before taking a long swig of water. After she had re-hydrated, she staggered over to her pack, collapsing to her knees next to it, digging through until she found what she was looking for. She extracted a bottle of pills, and a yellow and blue book. She got out two pills, placed them in her mouth, and hastily followed them up with another long swig of water to wash them down.

Then she leaned back, bracing herself against her pack, situating herself before flipping open the book. She quickly thumbed to the section about morning sickness and read the whole page three times.

"More than half of all pregnant women experience some form of morning sickness. Morning sickness is the nauseated feeling you get during pregnancy. Morning sickness can be, but is not always, accompanied with vomiting. The nausea is often a result of the increased hormones in your body. Typically, many health care providers think morning sickness is a good sign because it means the placenta is developing well and the fetus is developing normally. Morning sickness is a common misnomer, as symptoms can occur at anytime of the day. Morning sickness usually begins at six weeks and is usually over by the twelfth. However, you must also remember, no pregnancy is ever typical. Morning sickness can, in some women, occur in the very first month of pregnancy, and continue right up until the delivery. Also, even though it is uncommon, it is not unheard of a woman to continue to experience nausea even after birth. Most doctors believe this is because of the hormones in the woman's body are trying to regulate themselves after the baby is born."

Hinata groaned in anguish, "Nine months. Nine months of this?!" she continued to moan, her head lolling back.

'_There must be something I can do,' _she thought numbly, the morning sickness pills starting to take effect. She turned back to the book, flipping back to her page, reading the section over, then flipping to the next page.

"There are measures a woman can take to reduce morning sickness, although it might not completely alleviate all the symptoms. Try eating small meals often, and try to avoid being or feeling hungry. Feeling hungry before you eat can cause you to vomit the first thing you eat, and then you must keep eating to replenish yourself. Also, try drinking a current stream of fluids throughout the day. Fluids are more difficult to vomit, due to the fact they are not usually nauseating. Another step you can take is to get plenty of rest, and to not over exert yourself. However, this is not as important during the first months of pregnancy, but when you start to get a 'baby bump', you should definitely take it easy. A final step you can take is to avoid smells and sights that nauseate you."

Hinata sighed heavily as she continued to read, reading past the section about morning sickness and getting lost in the book. She was engrossed in a week by week breakdown of the entire pregnancy when she felt the first raindrop hit her. She looked up in surprise, noticing for the first time that she had completely spaced off, and wasted half the day already. She stood up, stretching hugely, looking around in regret as another raindrop hit her. Another and another followed, and before she knew what had happened, it was pouring rain.

Hinata was quick to pack up after the rain started to pour, completely oblivious of the rain drenching her clothes. She packed everything back into place, shouldered her pack, and hauled her pack over to where the leaves in the trees above were dense and the pack was shielded from the late summer rain.

Then, without warning, Hinata felt herself overcome with an overwhelming sense of giddiness, glee, and whimsy. She tried to control her feelings, which she knew she could probably chock up to hormones, and keep her head on straight. Then uddenly, without even realizing what she was doing, her feet were moving of their own accord, and she didn't mind as the warm water cascaded over her.

She quickly skipped into the center of the clearing, twirling as she reached the middle of the clearing. She spun in slow motion, her eyes closed, hands thrown over her head, a sudden rush of freedom and liberty washing over her like the warm summer rain. She spun and twirled and pirouetted like she didn't have a care in the world, laughing hysterically as the rain ran down her face.

Then, without warning, she was sobbing uncontrollably, tears pouring down her face, disguised by the rain. She kept on spinning in place, sobbing and laughing at the same time, uncontrollable happiness and overwhelming misery shooting through her whole body like lightening.

She kept on spinning, faster and faster, the whole world becoming one big blur of emerald, steel, and azure hues, mixing together until it was one huge sloppy, beautiful mess, and Hinata felt as if her mind was detaching from her body.

She still kept spinning, faster and faster and faster, the whole world gone now, emotion, color, water, and air swirling in a messy ballad of life.

Then, without warning, she stopped suddenly, stumbling to find her balance, collapsing onto the soaked grass with a soft thud.

She closed her eyes, the world wouldn't stop spinning unless she did, and drifted into a weird, sloppy, messy, beautiful dream world.

--

Tsunade was standing on the roof of the village post office tower.

She was currently attempting to attach a letter to the back of one of the many Kite birds that the post office had.

The Kites were specialized birds that were raised from birth to work in union with ninja. Kites could carry messages thousands of miles without getting lost or ever losing the message. They never forgot a face, a location, or an order. They came in hundreds of colors, sizes, and skill levels. They ranged from massive Red Kites who could carry a small person, to Pearl Kites who had trouble carrying a simple note for longer than a few hours.

Tsunade didn't want any of those however, she had come here for one specific bird. After locating the bird in question, she had to convince him to carry the message.

He was a massive Black Kite, and was by far the oldest bird there. He wasn't feeble though, far from it. He was a proud, fierce, battle scarred warrior, who had carried messages for the Hokages since the village was founded.

"Come on you stupid bird!" snarled Tsunade, trying again to attach the scroll cylinder to his back. She finally got it snapped in place, much to his disgruntlement.

He glared at her, peering at her from his only good eye, and gave a furious shriek.

She sighed, "C'mon, look, I know you don't want to take it, but you're the only one who's been to that village in years." she cajoled soothingly, "You know I can't waste time waiting for another bird to _find_ it. I need someone who already knows where the village is."

She reached up and stroked his head gently, smiling sweetly at him. He glared at her, and snapped at her hand, looking almost like he was grumbling. After a few seconds of ruffling his feathers, he gave her a small nod, turned away, spread his massive wings, and jumped off the tower. An instant later and he glided gracefully into the sky, message cylinder draped across his back.

Tsunade sighed as she watched him swoop away, "I hope this doesn't backfire horribly," she muttered to herself, leaning on the roof balcony, watching the birds retreating silhouette.

--

When Hinata finally woke up, the stars were shining brightly overhead, and she had a monstrous headache.

She groaned, pushing herself into a sitting position, holding her head in her hands.

"Whoa...what happened...?" she mumbled incoherently, trying to steady herself, trying to figure out why there was bright, dancing light in front of her eyes.

"You passed out. Probably from all that spinning." said a very matter of fact voice, emanating from in front of her, "You know, I've never met a person who was actually stupid enough to dance in the rain."

Hinata was shocked, and jumped to her feet, desperate to escape the person, and was stumbling over to her abandoned pack before she even knew what was happening. Her condition caught up with her almost instantly, and her stomach heaved, and her head spun uncontrollably, the world shifting out of focus, the world collapsing into blackness.

The last thing she heard before she passed out was a voice that sounded like static coming through water, calling out, "Whoa!! Wake up!! Lady!! C'mon...!"

--

**Two and a Half Hours Later...**

Hinata awoke with a jolt, sitting bolt upright in her bedroll, looking around wildly.

"Whoa!! Take it easy!!" cried a voice near her elbow, sounding alarmed.

Hinata jerked her head around, noticing there was a roaring fire in front of her, then glancing wildly at the person who was at her side. She immediately tried to leap away, but was restrained by a hand on her upper arm.

"C'mon Sis, take it easy, I'm not gonna hurt you!!" said the man hastily, reaching his other hand up to restrain her, "I just wanna help!! Calm down!!"

Hinata forced herself to try to be calm and look at her situation rationally. Finally, she was able to regain coherent thoughts, calm her racing heart, and take a better look at the man who was gripping her arm.

She was surprised, he wasn't a man at all, more like an older teenager, he looked to be about nineteen or twenty. He had white blond hair, which was sticking up in all directions. He had brilliant emerald eyes that were darker near the edges but the closer it got to the pupil, it faded from brilliant emerald to a faded lime with speckles of lush, vibrant blue-green. His face, unlined and calm radiated a kind of trustworthiness, and his eyes seemed to have a blank look in them, with hidden emotion dancing beneath the surface. He wore the clothing of a ninja, and the headband of Iwagakure. A Rock village ninja.

He was crouched next to her, looking at her intensely, his face softening as she calmed, "There you go, calm down. No need to be afraid. My name is Otando Isawara." he said in a gentle, soft voice, loosening his grip on her arm. His face showed nothing but kindness and sincerity.

Hinata swallowed painfully, trying to find her voice, "My name is H...Hinata. Hinata H...Hyuuga." she managed to stutter, forcing herself to calm down and breathe.

He smiled gently at her, finally releasing her arm, and taking a cross legged position across from her, "It's very nice to meet you Hinata. However, considering the circumstances, I'm going to have to scold you." he said lightly, shaking a finger playfully at her.

Hinata's eyes widened in fear, "Did the village send you?!" she asked, alarm seeping into her voice, gripping her blankets tightly.

He chuckled softly, "Hardly. I didn't even know you were from a ninja village till I looked in your pack. I meant that you shouldn't have been dancing in the rain. You could catch cold, and that would be very bad." he said, smiling at her.

Her alarm quickly turned to rage, "YOU LOOKED THROUGH MY PACK!?" she yelled furiously, suddenly outraged.

"No!! No!! It's not like that!!" he said hastily, holding his hands up, shaking his head furiously, looking worried, "I had to!! I needed to know if you...uh...needed anything!!"

Hinata felt her rage vanish as quickly as it had come, hunger and exhaustion taking its place. She sighed, "Oh it's alright," she said tiredly, burying her face in her hands, "It doesn't really matter. I don't have much to hide."

He breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, because I really just wanted to see if you had any food. I haven't had much to eat this week," he said, slightly embarrassed, scratching the back of his head.

She sighed again, her stomach grumbling. The sound did not go unnoticed by Otando, "Hey, you must be starving after that stunt you pulled in the rain," he exclaimed quickly, turning to the fire behind him.

He dished a sizable portion of something into one of the bowls she'd had in her pack. It came from the container suspended over the fire, which she'd only just noticed.

"Here you go!" he said excitedly, handing her the bowl and a spoon.

"Thanks." she replied gratefully, digging into the food without a second thought.

He watched her eat in silence for a few seconds, before asking, "So, I couldn't help but notice, you had a bunch of baby stuff in your pack. What's that all about?"

She sighed heavily, setting her bowl in her lap, "Well...I guess I could tell you...," she said slowly, thinking.

"Of course you can tell me!" he said eagerly, leaning forward, "I won't tell anyone! Plus, I won't judge you at all! You know, not saying that there's anything to judge...uh...I don't...I mean...that was rude of me...uh..."

She nodded slowly, ignoring his babbling, slurping some more of her food, before responding, "Alright, I'll tell you. But it's a long story...," she said uncertainly, "I'm not sure you'd want to hear it..."

"Of course I want to hear it!" he replied quickly, settling himself into a more comfortable sitting position.

"Okay then, it started way back when one night when I was training by myself, and my cousin Neji came by..." she began slowly, punctuating her words with bites of food.

"What's he like?" Otando interrupted, eyes shining at the prospect of a good story.

"Well...," she said slowly, "Most people think he's mean and uncaring, but he's really not. He's sweet, and caring, and loving, and gentle and he always tries to help people. He doesn't talk much, but that just makes him a better listener. He's always willing to help me and give me guidance."

"Whoa, sounds cool," said Otando brightly, "Then what happened?"

She smiled at his enthusiasm, and began to tell him the whole story, making sure to leave nothing out.

--

Okay, I know that was kind of weird, so I'm sorry. I also needed to get the opinion from my readers on one more thing. I've narrowed it down to a few names, a bunch that you guys suggested, and some I found on my own. I'd like you to tell me which name you like best, or if you think you have a better one, you could suggest it.

1. Haruaki can mean "prince of spring" or "light" or even "prince of light"

2. Keitaro can mean "blessed"

3. Haru means "spring" or "sun"

4. Kageki

5. Ichiru

6. Shinzomaru "heart"

7. Ryuga

8. Saita or Saito

9. Shintarou

10. Tabito

11. Hizashi (in honor of Neji's father)

12. Kioshi means "quiet"

13. Kazuo means "branch"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto, I forgot to send in the paperwork.

I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter and voted on names. I will decide on a name soon. If I didn't say it before, there will be a massive time skip coming up.

--

Don't Give Up on Me

Konan sat in complete silence while Pein read the letter.

It was just a piece of paper, read so many times and by so many people that it was wrinkled, the ink was running and fading, and it looked like it might crumble away at any moment.

It was a simple letter, nothing too fancy, delivered in the traditional way. The surprising thing though was that no other ninja villages had dared to contact Amegakure since hers and Pein's takeover. She was amazed that they even had any birds left who remembered where the village was.

Even more extraordinary though, was what was written on the paper. It was the reason she'd seen fit to summon Pein back to the village.

The letter was from Konoha, and it was stunning for a simple piece of paper.

Konan knew many things, she knew how to kill someone with paper cuts, she knew who Pein really was, she knew the Leaf Village was proud. Yes, she knew many things, one of them being, the hokage of the Leaf Village never had, up until this point, ever begged for anything from anyone.

However, as soon as this letter had arrived, much of what Konan had previously thought about the Leaf Village was shattered.

The paper, the letter, was a plea. A desperate, practically heart wrenching plea for help, from the proudest and most arrogant village Konan had ever known. It was written by the Leaf's current hokage, who Konan knew a great deal about.

Over the years when she'd been under his teachings, Jiraya had told her about Tsunade, the legendary sucker. Apparently Tsunade was a compulsive gambler, alcoholic, and a master at chakra control. She was also, as Jiraya said, 'So damn proud and such a know it all that no man on the planet wanted her'. Konan knew it would take every single piece of humility she had to write such a desperate plea for help.

"So this arrived two days ago?"

Pein's voice broke through her silent musings, forcing her to focus her jumbled thoughts.

"Yes Pein." she replied in her carefully practiced emotionless tones, stepping to stand next to him.

She leaned in close and rested her chin on his shoulder, reading the note again where it was clutched in his hands.

"To Pein and Konan of Amegakure,

I am sending this letter as a formal request for assistance and an appeal for your help. The Village of Konohagakure and I are formally requesting that you, and your village help us retrieve a fugitive. The fugitive in question is Hyuuga Hinata, the heir to the Hyuuga clan name. She is also an important shinobi and a member of community. However, I must at this time, as I feel it is pertinent, to mention her present medical condition. Hyuuga Hinata is currently pregnant with a child of an incestuous relationship. As you may well be aware, such relationships are forbidden in Konohagakure. We however do not seek to have her returned with the intention of imprisonment nor any other form of cruel punishment or mistreatment. We beseech you for help in the hopes that we will be able to hopefully recapture her in enough time so that the fetus can be terminated, and Hinata can return to a regular life. If you are currently thinking that the train of thought we are pursuing is cruel and illegal, I urge you to think about the well being of Hinata. Teenage pregnancy is dangerous enough, without the added stress of trying to fend off and avoid ninja. Added to that, is the fact that teenagers are not ready for the responsibility and the stress of being a parent. She is alone, no doubt afraid, and in danger of going into early labor, and dying of massive hemorrhaging. We ask because she is currently heading in your direction, no doubt hoping for asylum, or at the very least, indirect protection from the Anbu ninja we have sent to retrieve her. On a final note, I hope that your answer will be swift and I hope, for Hyuuga Hinata's sake, that it is an affirmative one.

Thank you for your time,

Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure

Tsunade"

"So what do you think Pein?" asked Konan quietly, looping her arms around his waist in a rare gesture affection, while at the same time, keeping her voice completely neutral.

After a pause, he sighed, and slumped a little, leaning into her embrace, before he said, "I do not fully understand what she expects _us _to do about it. This village stopped being a member of the five great villages as soon as we captured it. She cannot possibly expect us to be able to do anything."

Konan sighed as well, before asking, "Do you plan to answer?" in an emotionless voice, praying he was currently in a good mood, and that he would not rebuke her.

He stiffened slightly in her embrace, and Konan felt her heart freeze in fear for an instant, before he relaxed again, reaching down and lightly grasping her hand, "Yes, I think I will reply to her. The Leaf does not beg unless they are desperate. It is the least we can do to help them." he said, amusement and satisfaction creeping into his voice as he continued to muse on the Leaf's current predicament.

Konan allowed herself a rare smile, holding Pein closer, "Thank you Pein." she said, allowing the merest hints of gratitude and happiness find their way into her voice.

Pein smiled, resting his head against her own, in a very forward, and rare gesture of affection, "Of course Konan." he replied softly.

Neither spoke another word, for they both knew what the other was speaking of, without needing words.

--

Hinata awoke the next morning feeling somehow much happier, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

It took her a few moments to remember why she felt this way, then the previous nights conversations and revelations flooded back into her brain. She sat up suddenly, looking around, and sure enough, there was Otando.

He was sleeping on his back, limbs sprawled in all directions, still clad in complete ninja gear. His head lolled back, his mouth half open as he snored away. His eyes were closed, and his face was the picture of tranquility.

He didn't even mind sleeping on the hard ground without any blankets. He did however have a kunai gripped loosely in his left hand, ready for some nonexistent attack.

She watched the rise and fall of his chest, and was reminded painfully of that night she had spent with Neji all those weeks ago.

She sighed dejectedly, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around herself, resting her chin on her knees.

"What's up?" the still apparently sleeping Otando asked, his eyes closed, his chest still rising and falling rhythmically.

She jumped slightly, jerking her head up to look at him, "O...oh...n..nothing!" she stuttered quickly, hoping not to seem weak to him because of her sadness.

His face twisted into a smirk as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, finally opening his brilliantly colored eyes, "Soooo...why so blue?" asked Otando, grinning like a fool.

"Oh it's nothing." said Hinata evasively, turning away from him slightly.

"Hn." he snorted, leaning in closer, and poking her forehead "You're lying to me. I bet it's about that cousin of yours."

Hinata looked at him, eyebrows raised, "Well, you certainly are forward." she said dryly, reaching up and pushing on the symbol his headband until he toppled over onto his back, before she stood and walked into the trees.

"Hey!! Where are you going!?" yelled Otando in dismay, pushing himself up with his elbows, "You shouldn't be walking in your condition!!"

"Oh please, I'm pregnant, not dead!!" she yelled back, waving him concerns away.

"But you could get hurt!! How can you walk!?" he yelled frantically, jumping to his feet and hurrying after her, concern painting his features.

She stopped suddenly, turning to face him, drawing herself up to her full 148cm height, looking up at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Now I am going to speak slowly and clearly for you," she growled threateningly, her eyes glinting dangerously "Now, while I appreciate your concern, I'm warning you, I am a ten weeks pregnant woman. I have cramps so bad right now that I want to die. I think I am going to puke, and I have to pee so bad I think I'm going to pee myself. Now, if you even think about following me when I go to do this, I will make sure that you are never able to reproduce. Ever. Am I making myself clear?"

Otando gulped, taking a step back and nodding mutely, his eyes wide and terrified.

"Good."

--

**One Hour Later...**

Hinata was feeling a little better as she and Otando traveled steadily north.

"So, you don't mind, about me and Neji? I mean some people...they...uh...," asked Hinata, flushing slightly from embarrassment, avoiding his gaze.

"Well why would I?" asked Otando nonchalantly, putting both of his arms behind his head and casting his gaze skyward.

"Oh...well...most people think...that you know...since we're related...," she began, embarrassed and blushing furiously, her head hung low.

He cast his eyes sideways to look at her, "You should stop doing that." he said bluntly, watching her blush deepen, "And I told you I wouldn't judge you, remember? I don't really give a damn about what intelligent, hard working people do on their own time. If you loved him, then no one, and I mean no one should be able to tell you it's wrong just because they're a bunch of narrow minded pricks."

Hinata lifted her head, "Do you really think so?" she asked, beaming at him.

"Yup, and another thing, I don't get why anyone would make something as trivial as incest illegal, I mean, what with all the murders and robberies out there, you'd think they could find a more productive way to waste jail space," he said fiercely, glaring straight ahead at thin air.

"Well, they have a good reason," said Hinata, looking at him.

"Yeah, what is it?" he snorted contemptuously. Clearly this was no longer about just her and her current problem.

"Well, as I understand it, incest was only made illegal after the annihilation of the Hagira clan," she said slowly, trying to recall her fourth year academy history classes.

"Oh, and what did they do?" asked Otando, his dark demeanor vanishing instantly, looking interested and excited at the prospect of another good story.

"Well...from what I remember, there were two siblings, Reidan and Hikari Hagira. Apparently, they fell in love, and consummated an incestuous relationship," said Hinata slowly, struggling to remember the story, "And that was fine with everyone back then. Then Hikari got pregnant, and that was still fine with everyone. She gave birth to their son later on, and they named him Reitaro."

"Cool, but I don't see what this has to do with outlawing incest," said Otando, scratching his ear in confusion, his gorgeous eyes clouding.

"I'm getting there, don't interrupt," Hinata softly chastised him, "Now, of course, Reitaro grew to be strong, and was enrolled in the ninja academy. Now even though no one had any real objections, incest was still considered unusual back then. The parents of the other children feared that something wasn't right in Reitaro's mind, so they forbade their children to talk to him. Reitaro didn't understand why no one would talk to him, and soon, he grew depressed. After a few years, he was tired of being depressed, and started to get angry. As he got angrier, his actions became erratic, causing the members of the Hagira clan to shun him and his family. His parents, rather than be shunned, abandoned their son instead, and they rejoined the clan, leaving Reitaro to fend for himself."

"Whoa, harsh," said Otando in disbelief, "Is that what they expect all children of incest to end up like? Abandoned? You wouldn't do that."

"That isn't why they instigated the law," she said patiently exasperated with his interruptions, "What happened was that the parents of the other children were right. No one knew it, but the Hagira clan had a terrible genetic disorder in their clan. It had never presented before because it required a certain 'doubling' of genes for it to present itself. The only way this 'doubling' would occur was if a child was born to two closely related members of the clan. Reitaro was born with this condition. It caused a brain malfunction, and his brain began to slowly dissolve away, leaving him with gaping holes in his memory, feeling, and impulse control centers of his brain. This disorder also caused his chakra network to malfunction and produce massive amounts of the 'super' chakra the Hagira clan was famous for. It is believed that this 'super' chakra production is what melted his brain."

"Gross, and how could they tell he had this disorder?" asked Otando in interest, keeping in step with her perfectly.

"They couldn't, and please stop interrupting," Hinata said sharply, before continuing, "They didn't know he had this disorder till after. He kept getting weirder and scarier the older he got, but everyone just said it was because he wanted attention now that the Hagira had abandoned him. Then, one day, he came to school, and he was half dressed because he'd forgotten how to dress himself. The other children began to make fun of him and he snapped. His impulse control was already shot, they said. Plus, he told them later, that all he remembered was his parents abandoning him, his clans shunning him, and how mean the other children were. Then he said, he didn't remember anything else except for hurt and betrayal. So he completely snapped, and before anyone realized it, he had a katana, and he was swinging it, and children were dying."

Otando sucked in a breath, his eyes wide and amazed, "He killed them?" he breathed softly, looking at her in horror.

"Yes, he killed all the children who were in the schoolyard, then he killed the academy teachers who tried to stop him," said Hinata quietly, "Then, he completely lost it they say. He went rampaging through the village, until he reached the Hagira clan base. Reitaro killed every single Hagira. Then they finally captured him. They were able to calm him down and talk to him before he died. He told them why he did it. It didn't make any sense, he was only babbling about, 'I couldn't get dressed...their fault'. Then he died. They were able to discover after he died about his condition, and how it had come about."

"So, I still don't quite understand," he said slowly, mulling over the whole story.

"Well, after he died, the council met," Hinata explained patiently, "They discussed the massacre, and they reached the conclusion that it would not be an isolated incident. There had never been any sign of the disorder before Reitaro, so if the Hagira had one, who's to say the Hyuuga didn't? Or the Inuzuka? Or the Uchiha? The thing was, they couldn't be sure, and even the slimmest chance of something like that couldn't happen ever again. Konoha had lost one of it's strongest clans in a day, so they couldn't afford anything like that ever happening, so they outlawed incest."

"Hmmm...I still don't think it's right to limit the way people feel about one another, but yeah, I have to agree, that's a better reason than I thought they'd have," he mused, scratching his head absently.

"So you see, if I am recaptured by Konoha, then I will be forced to terminate my son," said Hinata miserably, "I didn't want to leave, but I can't let him die."

"I know what you mean," said Otando in a tired sounding voice, reaching out to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "It's tough."

She sighed, "And I'm afraid it's just going to get harder. I need to reach Amegakure before the Leaf ninja find me, and I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep up this pace, and still not put my son at risk," she mumbled in misery.

"Well, I could come with you, and help you until we've reached Amegakure," Otando replied in a very practiced offhand voice, avoiding her gaze as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Really!? You'd do that!?" she cried excitedly, turning to look at him fully, tears of gratitude finding their way into her eyes.

"Sure, why not?" Otando replied, looking into her lavender eyes.

"Oh thank you!!" she yelled happily, throwing her arms around him, and beginning to sob hysterically in gratitude as she clutched onto his shirt.

His eyes darted back and forth in confused alarm and embarrassment, as if expecting a Rain ninja with a camera to jump out of the bushes, point and laugh at him.

"C'mon, there's no need to cry...c'mon now...this is embarrassing!" he mumbled, a blush spreading across his whole face, turning him a beautiful shade of crimson as he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back, attempting to soothe her.

"I...I'm...s...s...sorry...!!" choked Hinata hysterically, clinging tighter to him, "I...I...th..think...it's...th...the...h..hor...hormones!!"

Then she began to wail all the more hysterically as she clung tighter to him.

"Hormones...?" he said faintly, gulping, all the color draining from his face, his left eye twitching, "You never said there'd be _hormones!"_

--

"Lady Tsunade, we've received word," Shizune gasped breathlessly as she stuck her head into the meeting room, "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting?"

Tsunade's eyes flashed, standing up instantly, "No, not at all, we we're just finishing," said Tsunade hastily, eager to escape the room full of accusing lavender and white eyes.

She hurried around the table, sliding out the door behind Shizune, and walking quickly down the hallway.

"Do you have the letter?" Tsunade demanded, increasing her pace even more.

"No, the bird wouldn't let me get near it," Shizune panted, almost having to run to keep pace with Tsunade, "Who were those people in the meeting room?"

"Oh, that was just the Hyuuga council of elders," Tsunade said in disgust, "And they were just _reminding _me how _pertinent_ it is that we recover Hinata, or more specifically, her Byakugan, before too many people learn about her absence."

"It sounds like they don't even care about her at all," said Shizune in surprise.

"Most of them really don't, I think Hiashi and Hamara are the only ones who do." said Tsunade darkly, glaring ahead at nothing, "The rest are just concerned about someone learning the secret of their precious Byakugan. _None_ of them care about Neji though, he's been thrown out of the house, and disowned from the family."

"Lady Tsunade, who is Hamara? I thought Hinata's mother died years ago," Shizune asked, increasing her pace even more to stay in step with Tsunade.

"She did. Hamara is one of the more odd elders. She's the oldest member, and she lives by herself outside the village. She is actually worried about Hinata. Apparently she's her great aunt or something like that," Tsunade replied dismissively as she finally reached her office door.

She pushed it open, and was greeted by the sight of the massive Black Kite perched on her open windowsill, a the cylindrical message tube attached firmly to his back.

"Hi there birdie," said Tsunade, unable to mask her excitement as she hurried to the birds side, reaching for the tube.

He squawked and shrieked at her, turning his back to her to present the message tube to her.

"Thank you very much," Tsunade said excitedly, petting his head gently as she unsnapped the clasp that secured the tube to his back.

He grunted, puffing his feathers out, looking for all the world like a grumpy old man, mumbling and muttering soft squawk sounds. Finally though, he turned to face her as she finally removed the tube, and he gave her a critical look with his only good eye, and seeming to find her satisfactory, shrieked softly, and nodded his head solemnly.

She smiled, "Thanks again birdie, I know my Grandfather the shodaime hokage would be very proud," she said gently, stroking his proud head.

He grumbled to himself again in bird speak, looking slightly embarrassed and looking like he was trying to brush it off, before nodding again, turning, and jumping out the open window, spreading his wings wide. A second later, and Tsunade watched him soar away towards the post office.

She smiled to herself, reminded somehow of her grandfather, who had owned the great black Kite when he was alive. After a moment though, she turned away, and pulled the top off the scroll tube, and dumping the message into her hand.

She slowly unfurled the message, and read the neatly written words.

"To Honorable Hokage Lady Tsunade of Konohagakure,

We send you are deepest regrets concerning the plights of Hyuuga Hinata. At this time, we have received no word from any of our ninja about a person in our territory. We are writing to say that we will not openly negotiate with Konohagakure at any time. We will however keep an eye out for Hyuuga Hinata, and we will search for her. If we find her, we will, after considerations, most definitely return her to your custody. We hope that you can understand why we cannot openly negotiate, for we believe that it will not only tarnish your reputation, and credibility with the other villages, but ours as well. We will however send you any information we find that pertains to your shinobi, and if we capture her, she will be returned. Thank you for your generous message, however, we ask that you do not contact us again. Instead, if we need you, we will initiate contact with you first. Thank you again, and we do hope you find your shinobi before she enters Rain country.

Most respectively signed,

Pein and Konan of Amegakure"

Tsunade re-read the message three more times, her frustrating growing each time. She ground her teeth in frustration as she finally finished the letter, and dropped it onto her desk.

"What does it say?" asked Shizune timidly, taking a baby step forward.

"It says don't call us, we'll call you," snarled Tsunade furiously, slamming her fist onto the desk, cracking the polished surface, "I can't believe this!"

Shizune crept forward slowly, indicating she wanted to read the message.

"Go ahead," spat Tsunade venomously, waving her hand and glaring at the paper like it had personally angered her.

Shizune scooped it up and quickly read the message three times, before dropping it back on the desk, "It's not as bad as it sounds," she said hopefully, trying to convince Tsunade.

"Oh really, tell me, what's so not bad about it?" growled Tsunade furiously, turning away from her, facing out the open window.

"Well...," Shizune began slowly, taking a step closer to her, "They did say if they caught her, they'd send her back. Don't you remember how skilled those Rain ninja are at tracking? They'll probably find her easily, then they'll hand her over."

"Do you honestly think they'll waste their time on that?" snapped Tsunade, her back still facing Shizune, her arms folded across her chest.

"Actually, I do think that they will make an honest effort to find her," she said bravely, her voice faltering slightly as she heard Tsunade snort in disbelief, "I mean, can you imagine what would happen if the rest of the shinobi villages found out that fugitives could simply flee to the land of Rain and be safe. It would be chaos."

Tsunade considered her words, before slumping slightly, and turning to face Shizune, somehow looking older, "Yes, I suppose you're right." she said in an exhausted voice.

"Yes, and it won't matter soon anyways, if she goes within the borders of the land of Rain, we won't be able to go get her anyways, and we'll have to let them search for her," said Shizune calmly, resting a hand on Tsunade's arm to comfort her.

"Yes, I suppose you're right about that too," sighed Tsunade dejectedly, "I just wish there was something we could _do!"_


End file.
